Altruism
by Vloop
Summary: Life is hard for anyone born in the Wasteland. You have to do whatever you can in order to survive. But people aren't made for just surviving. Rated M for violence, language, and strong themes. Charon and OC non-Wanderer. Trigger warnings will be posted at the beginning of traumatic chapters. I don't own Fallout 3 or any of its characters.
1. Chapter 1 - Struggle

_Am I supposed to die here? I can't. I can't die. Not yet._

The Supermutants were closing in. The Museum of History was only yards away. My goal, my mission, was to enter that building and retrieve the Lincoln Memorial Picture. But the Mutants have gotten more aggressive and higher in number. DC wasn't always this bad. There has been a shift to make the Mutants more aggressive, the Brotherhood of Steel more exclusive, and Ravenrock to start buzzing again. I thought Heavy and I could take it, but the trek has been long and exhausting. The Supermutants, with their hideous Centaurs were closing in around me.

I felt every strike, every projectile of radioactive sludge, every bullet rip through my battered body. I no longer fought, I only sought the cover of a building or alcove; anything. I was so close! So close to my goal. I could see the oaken doors and the metro that fell beneath it. My legs finally gave way and I collapsed to the ground, crawling on my hands and knees to keep going. There was blood, blood that belonged to me and blood that didn't. I heard their wretched screams of excitement; they'd eat me tonight. I fell over, drained, almost wishing for death, when the bursts of a gun that wasn't mine rang in my ears. Bullets fending off the monsters at my heels.

* * *

**Charon**

"Didya hear? Willow dragged in a _smooth skin!"_

"Why the hell would she do that?"

"Beats me. Maybe she was feeling generous. Hey Nurse Graves."

"It's Baldy, the one who showed up about a month ago."

A drunken patron hailed for another beer, but he was scrambling for the caps. My employer gave me a glance, a glance to keep my eye on him. My gaze never left the patron. He was thin and sickly and struggled to speak coherently. My employer and I knew what was coming; it was just a matter of time.

"What happened to her?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"Oh c'mon, there ain't nothin' else to talk about! Tell us what happened to her! She still alive? Why was she around here again?"

"She hasn't woken up for a day, but she's in stable condition now. She was unconscious when Willow brought her in.

"Did Willow say why she decided to save a _smooth skin?"_

"She mentioned the first time Baldy came to Underworld, those Brotherhood men were giving Willow trouble. Baldy stepped in and intervened. Willow was paying her back by fighting off Super Mutants."

The drunken patron from before hissed and leapt over the bar, clawing for Ahzrukhal. I pushed past the crowd easily and grabbed the aggressor. My hand easily wrapped completely around this man's neck, fingertips touching fingertips.

Ahzrukhal was laughing, wiping his lip. Nurse Graves helped him to his feet. "You know what to do," He chuckled, "_Charon."_

The man tried wriggling free, but I clasped his neck tighter and held his wrists together. He choked and hissed and spat and gnashed his rotting teeth. I had to parade him through Underworld, this guy everyone knew and respected. I was bringing him to his end. Everyone stood silent, watching me do my work. They stopped whatever they were doing to watch, a reminder of what could happen to them.

I reached his pearly gates, and by orders I could not kill him.

I was forced to let him rot with the other victims of Ahzrukhal's iron hold in the lower offices. Penned in like animals. I hate Ahzrukhal. I wanted to break every brittle bone in his brittle body. He doesn't deserve to live. He manipulates those around him, keeps them in a drugged, drunken stupor. He destroys good men, runs women out of house and home. Many of his victims were never even feral, but people who didn't have the caps to pay him back. He simply lets them rot in here, they lose their humanity in the darkness.

I opened the doors, groans of pain and hisses of pain escaped through and into what was left of my ears. There, all of my victims rot away. Before him was blackness. Uncertainty. Wild, lawless, filth. I threw him down to the ground before turning around to return to the Ninth Circle. He grabbed my ankle, clinging to it for his life. He asked me to spare him in a barely coherent voice. He asked me to take him to the Doc, that Burrows could cure him. Burrows could do nothing for this man. He begged me to take him back through degraded gums and a sunken face. His hands and fingers were thin and knobby, weakly grasping my boot.

I looked him in his scared eyes, and shook him off like dog shit.

I slammed the door behind me, hearing his wails penetrate the heavy wooden door, echoing in the great hall. Echoing in my head. Ahzrukhals' head is on the chopping block when I am freed from his wretched grasp.

* * *

**Baldy**

I woke up. I woke up on a gurney. _Fuuuuck! My head! _I rolled over a few times, seeing if I could still move. I wiggled my fingers and toes, flexed and tensed my muscles. Everything seemed to be in working order. I lied flat on my back and opened my eyes, only to be greeted by a blinding light. "Shit!" I swore, covering my eyes. I sat up, tunnel vision ripped through my eyes and into the back of my head. I groaned "Fuck, where am I? How the hell am I still alive?" I was underground; there were no windows. I was naked save for my underwear, eh, whatever. Not the first time. Someone gently pushed me back down.

"You're in the Chop Shop in Underworld, Smoothskin."

I chuckled, "The _Chop Shop?" _Might as well call it 'We Dissect You'. "I wouldn't trust _any _other doc."

"Yeah, you shouldn't, because you're _alive _thanks to me." He snapped. "So do you remember your name?"

I had to think for a moment, letting my eyes adjust to my surroundings. The doc was sitting in a chair next to me, clipboard in hand. There was a nurse in the corner, typing something on a computer. There was a sort of observation window with two glowing sources of light moving around. I couldn't quite see what they were, but a good guess they were Glowing Ones. Only after I was adjusted did I say something. "I remember who I am. But who are you?"

"I'm Doc Borrows."

"When can I leave?"

"You're asking me that already? Not soon, I can tell you that much."

"Well why the fuck not?" I sneered.

He snickered and shook his head, writing something down. "You must be better if you're arguing with me."

"But why can't I leave yet?" I persisted, slowly sitting up.

"_That._" He pointed to my side. There was a wrap around my torso, and I ran my fingers over the gauze, I felt a shallow delve in my side.

"Fuck." That was when a fragmine exploded a car and the shrapnel took a chunk out of me. Another story to tell. I looked over my body and only saw scabs and dressings and scars. I looked over my hands, covered in scratches and dirt. My arms weren't any better. The only thing probably untouched were my feet, but they were still fucked up. It seemed like I had lost a toenail or broken something since four of my toes were wrapped tightly in gauze. "I really went through the ringer, didn't I?"

"We didn't think you'd wake up." We looked at each other for a tense moment. The words really sunk in. "But you're conscious now, and I have to make sure your brain is still in working order. How old are you?"

I shrugged, "24ish."

"Good, good," Burrows mused, a gravely sort of musing. He scribbled something on a clip board. The nurse brought over some food, some stale apples and purified water. "What were you doing to get shot up full of so many holes?"

I had to think about that for a moment, the food sort of helped. I shrugged and looked down. "I dunno, typical Wasteland stuff, man." I kept eating. "I wasn't prepared for all the Super Mutants I guess. There are more of them than there were a month ago, yeah?"

The Doc nodded. "There are."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. So why are you here again?"

"That Three Dog guy is offering me a reward for fixing his dish." I lied. The miser wasn't offering me jack shit for such an important piece of machinery. I was really in D.C for the Temple of the Union, clearing out the Super Mutants and slavers of the Lincoln Memorial. But first, I was going to get the Lincoln Memorial Picture since Caleb needed a reference. "So, what exactly _happened_ to me?"

"You were dragged in here shot up full of holes, severe blood loss was your main issue. Your left leg and right arm were broken. Four of your toenails were essentially dead, so we removed them. They _should_ grow back soon. There were several deep lacerations on your arms and face. This one," he gently pressed his finger down the bridge of my nose and traced the wound the full length, "This one, right here, your nose was split open. That was a trick to sow back together. But the biggest issue we had was stopping _that _from bleeding." He pointed to my side. "It's a miracle the lacerations didn't pierce your lungs or else we would have had to of given up there."

"Thanks Doc." I mumbled, feeling the wounds again. "So how long will it take me to recover?"

He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at me. "Why are you itchin' to leave so bad?"

I have a mission to complete. A mission that quickly running out of time to complete. "I've got business I need to get done as soon as possible. Don't think it's because I'm surrounded by ghouls. I ain't no ghoul hater."

He stood up. "I understand, but your body still needs rest."

"Can I take a bath?" I asked. I _really _reeked. I couldn't remember the last time I bathed.

"Let the bandages sit another day, we'll pump you full of stimpacks, and after that you should be good to leave." He turned his attention to the girl in the corner.

I had to sit there, staring at the ceiling, for what seemed like _hours._ My body started aching again, aching for pain relief and cold peace. That cold peace only Med-X could give me. When the Doc was out tending to his glowing pets and Nurse Graves was tending to a woman in the corner, I carefully snuck out of my bed and over to my pack. I pulled out a syringe, then silently climbed into bed. Nobody saw me. I turned over on my side, away from everyone, and inserted the needle into my arm. Instantly, I was relaxed and weightless. I didn't feel my side aching, my leg throbbing, or my arm with it's piercing pain. My mind forgot about everything, I had enough sense to hide the needle, then I slipped off to sleep.

* * *

**Charon**

"Hey, baldy woke up today!"

"And? What's so exciting about that?"

"I dunno, somethin' to talk about. Do you think she'll survive?"

"Survive what? The sight of your ugly ass?"

"Shut up, you don't look much better." They both laughed and hailed two shots of vodka. "I mean, just because she's awake doesn't mean she'll survive her injuries. I've _heard _from _sources _that she was through hell and back."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Broken limbs, a whole shit ton of lost blood, shot up full of holes, and a lot of deep cuts all over her."

"Sounds rough. How did she make it?"

"A fuckin' miracle. Doc was sayin' she shouldn't have lived."

"Well no shit. She _must _be living for something important."

"What is _that _important to live through hell?"

He scoffed. "Not much."

"Well, whatever it is, I hope it ain't that pressing. She don't look half bad."

"Maybe if she let her hair grow out I'd say so. She ain't my type. Too muscly."

"She's better lookin' than the broads down here." He said in a hushed voice.

"You can say _that _again." They both laughed.

She had stopped in here before. The patron who complained about her being to 'muscly' made a move on her she didn't like. She kicked up a fuss and threatened him. I had her halfway to the door when she ripped herself free. She escorted herself out.

If she made trouble one more time, I was sure to not let that happen again.


	2. Chapter 2 - Employ

**Baldy**

I woke up the next day and it was time for my stim therapy. We undressed all the wounds slowly and carefully. For the major wounds like my broken arm and leg, he would make three or four injections around the area that suffered the break. But for open wounds, he'd break open the glass that held the stem cells and pour it directly into or onto the wound. Tissue would close up and scar within half an hour. When everything was closed up, Nurse Graves filled up a wash bin with irradiated water, threw it behind a screen, and called for me.

"I dumped a bottle of Rad-X in there, just to subdue some of the radiation. While you were out, we removed your radiation poisoning."

"Thanks." I grinned and ducked behind the curtain and dipped in. The water was absolutely freezing, but it was refreshing. I dunked my head under the water and scrubbed off all the dirt and dried blood that had accumulated. I did this for the rest of my body, and when I stepped out I had to chuckle at how filthy the water was. It felt good to be out of that filth. I got dressed again and hailed the doctor. I bought a few doses of Med-X, paid him, then asked "How much do I owe you for the surgery and care?"

"You don't owe me anything." He grinned. "I learned enough from cutting into you. You know how long I've been looking for a healthy human to take samples from? You've contributed more than enough!"

I furrowed my eyebrows and yelled, "I _didn't_ consent to that! What sort of fuckin' doctor are you?"

"The one that saved your life."

"That doesn't give you free reign of my body. What exactly did you take out of me?"

"I took some skin, muscle and blood samples."

"From where?"

"Why are you so curious?"

"I just wanna know what you took from me and why you need it."

"Oh, so you have a medical background?"

"Well, something equivalent to it, yeah."

"I'm testing the properties of our skin against yours. I'm also testing to see if our muscular tissue is any different than your own. I'm also curious to see if hemoglobin, platelet, and white blood cell levels are any different than ours."

"Do you have a functioning x-ray machine? That might produce some interesting results."

"How come?"

"Well, x-rays are radiation. If you're looking at the differences in radiation levels between our skin, your samples might look different than mine."

He squinted one eye at me, putting his hands on his hips. "Why aren't you working in a clinic somewhere? Why the hell are you getting yourself killed and not putting that knowledge to use?"

"I do put it to use. I use it for myself and those who need it when a clinic isn't just around the corner."

He nodded slowly, thinking it over. "I respect that. Who taught you?"

"I don't think that really matters. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing."

"I can work with that." I offered my hand and we shook. I turned on my heels and headed out the door. Now free, I contemplated going back into that slimy, musty bar again. The last time I was there, I nearly got thrown out by the bouncer. It was something I didn't want to experience again. But the desire to get blackout drunk was too overwhelming. I fed my carnal desire, took a nice shot of Med-X, and walked past the stares and whispers and threats and up the steps.

I ordered a whole bottle of whiskey to down pulled out a cigarette. The slimy old ghoul behind the counter lit it for me. He then pulled up a full bottle of whiskey and I paid the man his caps. Another 'smoothskin' entered the bar. Ahzrukhal noticed the man and 'warmly' invited him in. The other smoothskin looked surprised to see me here. I didn't recognize him. He sat down next to me anyways.

"Hey, another human!" They're all humans, fuckwad. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"No." I downed the first shot.

He seemed offended, "Why not?"

I pursed my lips and raised my eye brow, "I've already bought my alcohol. I make it a habit of not drinking with strangers."

"Why not?" A smirk flashed across his face. "It wouldn't hurt anyone if you loosened up a bit."

It clicked then. Fuck this guy. He was just being friendly, waiting for me to get drunk, then move in for the kill. "Fuck off."

He got angry. "Hey, I didn't do _nothin'! _Loosen up, sweetheart!" He tried slipping his arm around my waist when I shoved him away and jumped out of my seat.

"Don't you fuckin' touch me again!"

The bouncer appeared at the bar and grabbed me by the neck. I grabbed his wrist to try and get free but he only clamped harder. I couldn't breath as he was marching me towards the door when Ahzrukhal told him to drop me, but to take the other guy away_._ The bouncer angrily threw me against a table and seized the other man. Just as the doors swung closed, he took the mans head and rammed it against the railing with a sickening _crack!_ I turned to the owner, fuming. I opened my mouth to cuss the scum bag out when he intercepted me.

"I'm so sorry, madam, the patron has been properly dealt with. I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens again.

"First," I coughed, rubbing my neck, "I don't want this anymore." I pushed the bottle back to him. "Second, what's that guy's deal? That bouncer," a couple more coughs escaped my mouth, "He got some beef with me?"

"That's Charon, let's just say... well, he's my loyal employee. Don't mess with me, and he won't mess with you." The doors opened and Charon walked in and shot me cold, threatening glare. He was _not _happy with me. "I hold his contract, which makes me his employer. He will do what I ask when I ask, without question. Charon was raised by a very interesting group of individuals. They, well, you could say they brainwashed him. He is absolutely loyal to whomever holds his contract. Unfailing, unflinching, until the day that employment ends." Ahzrukhal stopped to hack up a lung, then he continued, glancing at Charon occasionally as he spoke. "Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt he holds no end of animosity towards me. But so long as he is my employer, he is as gentle as a teddy bear."

I narrowed my eyes. If I rubbed this guy the wrong way, well, my brains would probably be splattered on the wall. And that's when it hit me. Charon could be splattering the brains of my enemies for _me._ I could use a friend for hire. The times are a changin', and everything out there seems to be trying to rip you apart at first sight. I could use a big, scary, ghoul like this Charon guy to accompany me and help fend off anything that sauntered my way. "I'd like to buy Charon's contract."

"Oh? Would you now?" He instantly changed demeanor. "He is a highly valuable asset to me and to the Ninth Circle. What did you have in mind?"

I thought for a moment. I had a little over 2,000 caps on me. No more than 2,300. "I'll give you 1,000 for the contract." He laughed at me. He needn't say more. "Fine. 2,000?"

"That is more like it! Yes... here's the contract. And I'll take my payment in full. I'll give you the pleasure of informing Charon yourself."

I walked sauntered over the Charon. A little voice in the back of my head said it was probably a _bad _idea to hire someone who could strangle you to death with one hand who _almost did just that_, but I told that voice to shut up and get over itself. All I had to do was open my mouth and Charon said to me, "Talk to-"

"None of that. I'm your new 'employer'." I presented the scrap of paper to Charon to prove I wasn't lying. A hint of excitement flashed through his eyes. He looked at me with muted eagerness. "You purchased my contract from Ahzrukhal? So I am no longer in his service. That is good to know. Please, wait here. I must take care of something."

So I sat down at the nearest table and waited. Charon walked to the scum bag calmly. "Ahzrukhal, I am told I am no longer in your service."

"That's right Charon, have you come to say goodbye?"

"Yes!" He whipped out his combat shotgun and blasted Ahzrukhal's head clean off his shoulders! He put one more round through the body.

I had jumped out of my seat and hurried over to the bar.

"Alrightletsgo."

I laughed in disbelief. "What the fuck was that?"

"Ahzrukhal was an evil bastard. So long as he held my contract, I was honor bound to do as he commanded. But now you are my employer, which freed me to rid the world of that disgusting rat. And now, for good or ill, I serve you."

"Remind me not to piss you off." I picked over Ahzrukhal's body for my caps back, but he must have hidden them while I was looking away. People were crowding around in shock. I looked at Charon, and the frigidness in him melted away a little bit. I grinned, "Let's roll."

* * *

**Charon**

Finally! I killed the motherfucking bastard. Felt so good to see his rotten little head explode like a... well, I just hope this new employer ain't half as bad as Ahzrukhal. She never introduced herself, but I don't really fuckin' care. We left Underworld and Baldy started talking at me. We were heading towards the lower offices.

She put her hand on the door, but stopped and turned to face me. "Let me lay some ground rules before we gallivant around the Wasteland together. First, don't touch me unless I give you permission. Second, unless the bedroom has a door, you're staying up the first half of the night to keep watch. I'll stay up the other half. Thirdly, if you need any medical attention, tell me immediately. Can you do all that?"

"Easily."

"Good, now let's kick some ass." She turned around and whipped out a dark minigun. 'Heavy' was painted onto the back. She kicked opened the door and stormed the room.

For a woman, she handled that monstrous thing confidently. She told me to take the ones that came from above, and she'd take care of the ghouls flooding from the cafeteria. I didn't feel pity, but a weird sense of relief. I've always wanted to come down here and put these dogs out of their misery, but Ahzrukhal would never let me. I felt good killing them. My employer. I think she just gets a kick out of that beautiful piece of machinery. It's well maintained and obviously some parts have been switched around. The rate of fire is slower, but the bullets seem to pack more of a punch than a regular minigun. When the shells stopped jingling, she looked at me with a wide smile spread across her face. She came up to me and slapped my back.

"Not bad for a ghoul."

"Not bad for a woman."

"Pig!"

"Bigot." She stuck her tongue out at me before she started searching the bodies.

"So what do you like to do, Charon?" She asked.

"Kill."

"And?"

"Get drunk."

She turned and raised an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Nothing? Music? Books? Anything?"

I shook my head and pursed my lips.

"What do you think about?"

"I don't."

"Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't talk."

She planted a hand on her hip, stopping from her 'work'. "Will you talk back if I talk at you?"

"If conversation is what you order, then I will converse with you."

She rolled her eyes and continued. Why? Why did she do that? She started talking at me again. "So what are you like?"

"Uninteresting."

"C'mon. At _least _tell me about how your-" A ghoul came charging for her. She kept talking, like she didn't even hear it! I took it out quickly and looked at her like she had three arms sprouting from her head. "Shit, I didn't even see that one!"

"How could you _not _see it?" She would have seriously had to of been blind _and _deaf to not detected the ghoul. That or she wanted it to rip off her ear.

"I just didn't hear it, okay? Thanks for taking care of it." She stopped talking at me after that. She thanked me. She didn't have to do that.

We entered the rest of the building, but I heard turrets going off. She, of course, kept stomping up the stairs. I quieted her. "Stop," I advised.

"What is it boy?" She teased. "Is Timmy stuck in the well?"

"Turrets."

"Well aren't _you _on top of things," she sneered. She waited with me, trusting my better judgment. She watched for my move. When the turrets had stopped, I motioned for us to get moving. She stood up and armed herself with that minigun again. I kept staring at the word 'Heavy' in cracking red paint. Is that her name? Or the name of the gun? Why the fuck would someone name a gun?

We only encountered a few spare glowing ones that either hid or escaped the turret. They were quickly dispatched. Baldy kept poking around, a little too long for my tastes. She searched every nook and cranny for anything she could find. She asked about myself again.

"So what do you do for fun?" She threw a piece of junk over her shoulder as she was digging through a pile of shit.

"I kill things."

"Anything else?"

"I get drunk."

She threw her arms in the air in exasperation. "You're hopeless!"

"I told you I was not that interesting."

"Fine. You ask _me _a question."

I crossed my arms. "What the _fuck_ are we doing here?"

She found what she was looking for, and left the room. I followed her. "I'm running some errands for the Temple of the Union."

"Were you a slave?"

Baldy turned to me. "Obviously."

"What am I then?"

"You are a coworker. You are a person. Your services are an investment. If it were up to me, I'd rip up your contract in a heartbeat. But I don't trust you yet, I'm sorry."

She apologized. She is confused about my purpose.


	3. Chapter 3 - Life

**Baldy**

I think he was offended, but I couldn't tell behind that vacant stare. An investment, not just financially, but he protected me without any restraint. That was more valuable than any caps I could ever own. We didn't speak again until I found the picture. "I finally found the damn thing."

"You have passed it easily six times."

I was silent for a moment, then looked up to him. "Really?"

He nodded his head.

I shoved him and demanded, "Why didn't ya _say_ anything?!" I started rolling up the picture and carefully placed it in my pack. He just grunted at me an shrugged his shoulders. Whatever. If he was gonna throw a fit, I was gonna let him. I secured the photo and we were out of there.

Our next stop was the Memorial itself, but The Brotherhood of Steel fired two warning shots at us before we could even get close.

I threw my arms into the air. "We're friendly!"

"The ghoul!" One shouted back.

"He ain't feral!" I continued walking forward. They fired another at me. I jumped back and shot my arms straight into the air, _"THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! I TOLD YOU, HE AIN'T FERAL!" _I know it's a death wish to try and fight against a platoon of the Brotherhood whelps, but that didn't mean I couldn't _try_.I twisted around towards my dim wit. "Put your fuckin' hands in the air!"

He begrudgingly did so.

The idiot yelled back at us, "Walk slowly past us and we'll have no trouble! No sudden movements! Your hands will always stay in my sight!"

We did so, but as we were passing the outpost, we made sure he could see our fingers. But as we were passing, I saw a very peculiar sight. I saw a kid in a blue jumpsuit talking to one of the Knights. The jumpsuit had the number '101' on it. It was crudely armored. He had jet black hair, neatly combed to the side and glasses set on the bridge of his nose. A dog stood by his side, panting and wagging his tail. A kid from Vault 101? It couldn't be. That vault hasn't been open in nearly 20 years. They don't let anyone in anymore. He looked scrawny and pale. I'd give him another three days.

We made it to the memorial in one piece. This part would be harder than simply finding a photo. Slavers and Super Mutants constantly fought over this position.

When we got there, I ducked down to watch the fight that was taking place. It was between a few muties and the slavers. Sweat started to bead on my forehead. My heart started pounding. My breathing quickened. This was it. I had to get myself mentally ready for this fight. I knew I could do it. I knew I could mow down some slaver punks easily. But the thought. The thought I could slip or get captured again. It terrified me. It kept me awake at night.

I took another hit of Med-X, mostly to calm my nerves, and I pressed my body against a nearby wall. I took out my scoped magnum and aimed for the bastard with the head wrap. I took a ragged breath in, then breath out as I squeezed the trigger. His brains went flying. A surge of relief and confidence rushed through me. I turned to Charon with a grin on my face, "You ready to kill some gutless bastards?"

He cocked his shotgun.

I tossed a grenade over the wall as we charged up the steps. The grenade threw them off, giving us enough time to storm up the steps without being showered with bullets. "Eat it!" I shouted over the mayhem. Charon shouted his share of funny battle cries, which only made me braver. The fuckers were dispatched easily, but then the sleeping bull woke up. Charon was putting another slug through an already dead body when their leader stormed out of the gift shop. The leader aimed his gun at the ghoul. "Charon!" I pulled the magnum that was on my own hip and I shot the bastard down before he could kill Charon.

Charon looked at me, honestly surprised. He nodded in appreciation. I nodded back. We looted the bodies and repaired our weapons.

"So why do you keep your head shaved?" Charon asked _me._

I was surprised. "You're asking me a question?" I was trying on different gloves. Holes had been worn through the last pair.

"Don't make me regret it." He chucked a boot that was too small down the steps.

"So nobody will fuck with me again."

"You've been fucked before?"

"Shut up, like you could talk."

He found the right size and tightened the laces tight. He said something under his breath before standing up. He kicked away his worn out shoe and I proceeded to the gift shop. There was plenty of food in there for both of us to eat and recover our strength. "We're going to poke our heads inside the Museum of Technology before we leave."

"As you command."

I raised an eyebrow at the ghoul, pausing from my consumption of Pork and Beans. "I'm not your commander."

"You own my contract. I hold you in the highest regard. You are my commander, I shall follow your lead."

"That's bullshit."

He stopped eating for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't hold me in any regard. We just met. I shouldn't dictate your life."

"You are my life."

I kicked him under the table. "Shut up. You can't say stuff like that and not mean it. I ain't scrap to you and I know it. I know you don't like me, and that's fine. I can't say I'm too fond of me either. But _just_ because I own your contract or whatever doesn't mean I own you or your life."

"If my contract holds no meaning, then what is my purpose?"

I looked down at the can I was eating out of. "Charon, I don't know what my purpose in life is." I looked up at him. "And maybe you're one of the lucky few who does know. And maybe right now your purpose in life is your contract, but what I'm saying is that is a terrible life; to serve a piece of paper."

"What would you rather serve?"

"No _thing_- no one- but myself."

He didn't talk or continue eating, but studied my face for a minute. I glanced at him, but couldn't look for too long. The longer I looked at him, the more I saw a man and not a ghoul. The more attached I got. I couldn't get too attached. If I did, I might feel something other than apathy towards anyone but myself or the meek. I finally looked down and continued eating my soup. "You gonna keep eatin'?

He looked down and quietly munched on a brahmin steak. After we were done, I gathered whatever I could, which was a couple extra boxes of ammo and some soda, and we jogged down the street.

When we finally got there, the place was cleared out. "Fuck that goddamn kid!" He's the one Three Dog was blabbering on about. Now the Rat is helping him?! Shit. If I had known the Rat would be here before, I wouldn't have lost 200 caps. Maybe there was stuff lying about that I could sell.

I found _some _junk to sell, but either this kid knew what he was doing or this place wasn't as untouched as I thought. We didn't have to do much in the ways of killing anything, just picking up what the kid left behind. Which wasn't much. We eventually made it to the room where the lander was _supposed _to be. We heard a struggle below the stairs. I motioned for us to get low. There was a dog growling furiously and the sound of a hunting rifle getting jammed.

But soon, there was silence.

We crept towards the banister, my hand on my magnum. I peaked over the edge, and the Vault Rat was healing his and his dog's wounds. I stood up and shouted "Hey!"

The kid nearly pissed his pants and the dog looked up stupidly in our direction. The Rat adjusted his glasses and feebly aimed his gun in our general direction. "D-Don't come a-any closer!" He was like a fuckin' baby. "I-I'll kill you!"

I chuckled. "Yeah? I'd like to see you _try."_

The kid's hands were shaking like hallow branches. He couldn't control himself, and he eventually gave up and threw the gun to the ground. He curled up in a ball. "PLEASE don't kill me!"

Charon raised his gun, taking aim at the poor kid. I shot him a glance and quick shake of my head. I rested my hand on the barrel of the gun to lower the sights. "I ain't gonna kill you." I ordered Charon to stay there as I jumped over the banister and walked towards the kid. "What are you doing in here?"

The mutt's hairs stood on end as he growled in defense of his master. I considered kicking it aside, but the Rat called him down. "I-I'm here for Three Dog. I'm getting his radio dish."

"Yeah?" I kicked the dinky 10mm pistol from his weak hands. "I don't like it when people point pistols at me. Not many get away with it. Get that?"

He didn't attempt to scamper for it, but he backed himself against the wall. "What do you want from me?"

I shrugged. "I don't think you're really worth my while, so nothing. I'm just wondering _what _Three Dog could be offering you for you to charge head first into a fuckin' war zone, unarmed and uninformed."

His chest was rising and falling fast and hard, his nostrils flared for breath. Sweat beaded on his pasty brow. I believed it. I believed it all. This kid was from the Vault. No doubt in my mind. He pushed up his glasses. "My dad is missing. Three Dog offered me information about where he is." He swallowed a hard lump in his throat. "P-Please, just leave me alone. You know I can't kill you or offer you anything of any use. Please just leave me alone!"

Behind the scared eyes burned a bright intelligence and honesty I had never seen before. This kid, this kid was gonna do important things. He didn't belong out here in the Wastes, getting shot up and surviving day to day. "I'll leave you alone. Need help with that dish?" I threw my thumb over my shoulder. He shook his head 'yes'. I easily yanked the dish from it's hinges and tossed it on the ground. The Kid's eyes lit up and a smile spread so easily across his face. He picked it up and slung it on his back. "You don't belong out here, Kid."

"What do you mean?" He didn't seem offended. He was beaming.

"You're too smart. Go hang out in Rivet City or something, they could use an egghead like you out there."

"What's Rivet City?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You really _are _from that Vault, aren't you?" I shook my head and ruffled his hair. "It's a place just south of here. Scientists working on some sort of purifier up there. Now get going."

He didn't say a word, but picked up his pistol and bolted out of the museum faster than I could be able to catch him. His dog obediently followed, happily barking down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4 - Scars

I watched them disappear, standing in the silence for a minute. That kid, there was something about him. Something, promising. Charon called from the balcony.

"May I move?"

I looked up at him and nodded "Yeah, go ahead."

He hopped over the banister to join me, "Why did you help him?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I felt like I needed to. Plus, you could have blasted his brains out in one good shot if he tried anything funny, right Charon?" A crooked grin cracked my lips.

He tilted his head and shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah, I could have."

I gave him a few things to hang onto, so I could gather more shit to sell. We eventually left the museum, itching to get back to Hannibal and the others. We crawled through the metro, fending off raiders and a handful of Supermutants to reach the surface. There was a scaver that I sold our extra stuff to. It took us half a day to reach the Temple, but I was so relieved when we did. Everyone welcomed me home, and of course inquired about Charon.

"This is Charon, my body guard."

"How did you find him?" Alejandra asked, circling Charon like he was some sort of freak of na- well, I guess he kinda was. "It's been ages since I've seen a person so _tall."_

"Remember the Museum of History that I scouted a month ago? He was the bouncer that _almost _threw me out. I hired him and now he's with me."

Hannibal offered Charon a handshake. "Please to meet you, Charon. Welcome to freedom."

Charon looked at his hand, crossed his arms and grumbled.

Hannibal awkwardly withdrew his hand and scratched the back of his head. I put my hand on Hannibal's shoulder real quickly. "Sorry, Hannibal. Charon doesn't really do, _people _things."

"That's alright!" Hannibal smiled, "It's nice to meet you anyways."

"So were there slavers at the Memorial?" Asked Simone.

"Yeah, a whole shit ton of em." I stuffed my hands in my pockets. "Not anymore now, though!" I grinned. They all cheered and I felt proud of myself for a moment. "Charon killed them too." He glanced at me with slight confusion.

I handed the photograph to Caleb, straightened a few things out before talking with Hannibal again. We were going to leave in the morning. Tonight, we'd rest and pray for the day ahead. I never bought into the religion Hannibal set up, but so long as he'd keep me safe I didn't care what he preached. I slept outside with Charon that night. We pulled an extra mattress from the ground floor for him. There wasn't enough room for him in my tiny room. And I couldn't just kick him out, what if something happened?

* * *

**Charon**

For whatever reason, Baldy wanted to keep me company outside tonight. She set up her bed next to mine. They insisted I have a bed. I didn't complain. Once she had herself settled, she just started dressing down to her skivvies. I panicked. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't tear my eyes away, but at the same time I was revolted.

She had so many scars. There wasn't an inch of her that didn't have some sort of disfiguring mark. She was talking at me, but I didn't comprehend a _word _she was saying. It had been _decades _since I had seen a smoothskin woman this exposed. There was one scar that stood out because it was red and raised, with white stretched out skin on either side along the mark. It ran from her belly button to below her underwear band. I looked away. My eyes were still wide from the suddenness of it all.

"Are you listening?" Her voice popped through the haze in my head.

"N-No."

She sighed heavily. "What, intimidated by a half-naked woman?" A wolfish grin spread across her lips. She dressed into a thick t-shirt and shorts.

I squinted and blurted, "What the fuck happened to you?"

Her expression fell cold, looking at me with sunken blue eyes. "Now as I was saying, we're leaving in the morning at around 6. You'll take the lead, I'll follow up the rear. You'll be keeping watch with Simone. Got all that?" She rubbed her face.

I nodded my head, still looking away. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Staying out here with me. You have a room."

She shrugged. "I feel like shit kicking out like a dog at night." She bit the inside of her cheek and narrowed her eyes. "Am I bothering you?"

"Yes. Well, no."

She chuckled, falling down on the dirty mattress. "Don't think anything of it," She curled up and fell asleep.

While maybe not the healthiest individual, her muscles were defined and strong. There was obvious wear on her from a steady Med-X habit, there wasn't a lot of fat on her. She made up for it in muscle. She had a hardened body. She had obviously been carrying that 'Heavy' thing for some time. She had a mercenary's body. The muscles in her arms, shoulders, hips and legs were buff. She could do a number on anyone with just her fists, let alone a baseball bat or sledgehammer. She'd probably knock someone's head clean off with the right tool. I wondered for a moment if she every used her hands to kill someone. I fell asleep to this thought.

About three hours later it started raining.

The smell of wet pavement alone woke me up. But it was low rumble of thunder that woke her.

"How long has it been raining?" She stretched and yawned.

"Just started."

"Good." She grinned and got up, standing in the middle of it. "I love it when it rains, don't you?" She grinned and held her arms outstretched. She cupped her hands and let the far raindrops fall in her palms. I again, had to look away. She made me nervous. "C'mon, join me."

"No."

"Look man," She planted her hands on her hips. "I'd say we're working pretty close with each other, so we _at least _have to get along."

"I can get along with you better over here. Away from you."

"Oh _come on_ Charon!" She walked to me and grabbed my wrists and hoisted me to my feet. "You're not gonna melt!" Her hands were warm. She yanked me into the rain and I was instantly annoyed. "C'mon, stop grouching. Enjoy it while it lasts!" She tilted her head again. "Do as I do." She put her rough hands on either side of my face and tipped my head back. I had to close my eyes. She gave me no choice. "Quit fussing! You're so fussy."

I grumbled at her. She nagged me. "I've proved my point. Now relax." She removed her hands and we both stood like idiots in the rain. I didn't see what was so special. I dropped my head back down and looked at her. She looked, happy. Like really happy, not just laughing. It was weird. I noticed another, more faint, scar across her neck became exposed. Like someone had tried to slit her throat.

"Your neck-"

"What aboutit?"

"It's just that- how the _fuck _did you live?"

She clasped her hand over her throat to hide the disfigurement. "I was too stubborn to die, I guess." She shrugged. She ran a hand over her scalp, flinging hundreds of tiny water droplets. "She didn't even cut me the right way. She was scared, or nervous. Both, probably."

"What do you mean 'didn't cut me the right way'?" I crossed my arms. I didn't thing there was a wrong way to slit someone's throat. You kinda, do it. Quick. Hard. Silent.

"In my experience, there's a wrong way to do anything. She focused on my windpipe, not either artery." Baldy pointed to the sides of her neck. "Right here. I mean, she still sliced it, but she ended up giving me a tracheotomy instead."

"A what?"

She giggled and shook her head. "We should sleep."

"Tell me."

Her eyebrow pulled up. "Are you feeling okay?"

I shrugged. "I don't care if you do."

"Well, in that case, I guess I'll tell you." She walked back to our beds, which were protected by a slab of concrete above out heads. I sat down next to her. We both had our legs extended. Her feet were like a child's compared to mine. It was the only little thing about her. "First, a tracheotomy is when there's something blocking you from breathing. So surgeons will slice open a hole, right here," She pointed to her outstretched neck, "and it'll make a passageway so you can breath." She put her hand down and stared at the sky, "It was about 8 years ago, and there was a crazy bitch in the pens with me. She thought if she killed me, she'd had a better chance of surviving. So in the night, she pulled out a knife she stole off some drunk slaver and quietly snuck up on me. She was able to slice open my throat, granted, but not well enough. I was able to kick her off of me and get the knife out of her hands."

"Did you kill her?"

"No. The slavers came in to check on us and found her covered in blood and me, well, supposed to be dead. We were sold shortly after that to make sure nothing like that happened again." She looked up at me. "And that's the end. Tell me a story."

"I don't have good stories."

"Tell me a boring story."

"There was one time I found a completely intact car. Shiny, clean, even the seats were intact."

"Where did you find it?"

"A pre-war garage."

"What did it look like?"

"Like a car, except there wasn't any rust on it and the paint was red and glossy."

"What did you do?"

"We had fun sitting in it before we had more fun tearing it apart."

She chuckled. "Oh, so you _do _take pleasure in things besides killing and getting drunk!" The rain started to fizzle out. It never rains for too long. Baldy seemed disappointed. "I'm going back to bed." She lied down on her mattress and fell asleep as quickly as she woke. I sat against the wall, staring into the cloudy black sky.

This woman just told me how she almost died, but she wouldn't share her name.

***Thanks to everyone who has kept with the story! Things get exciting soon. She won't be Baldy forever.***


	5. Chapter 5 - Introduction

The Next Morning

I woke up to Baldy kicking me. "Get up. We're leaving." When I opened my eyes, I saw her figure against the morning sun. The barrels of Heavy were slung over her shoulder, her arm counter balancing the weight. She turned and walked downstairs. I followed her obediently, thinking about last night. Why is she doing this? She doesn't make any sense. Ahzrukhal made sense. He was an evil bastard. Plain and simple. But she didn't. Baldy shared more about of her life with me than any other employer I've ever had, ever. But I don't even know her name.

I can't do much, other than kill for her. But I fear she'll be the death of my simple existence if she keeps making me think like this.

I took the lead, just like she told me. I stood beside the Simone woman, we spoke very little to each other. She asked me a few questions and I half mindedly answered. I think she just got intimidated and started paying attention to the road. We came across very little trouble until we got to Friendship Heights. I spotted a couple raiders crawling around the rubble. I took them out quickly. Simone and I called the group to stop, and Baldy came running up to join us. The day had turned into night. Spotting the rest of the raiders would be difficult.

"What's wrong?"

Simone and I looked at each other, we were both thinking the same thing. Only Simone said it first.

"Are you fucking deaf?"

"Hey!" Baldy scowled and furrowed her brow. "I was at the end of the line. I didn't see those raiders!"

I opened my arms out wide, "Can you not hear _gunfire? _Or did you notice that the line _stopped for five minutes?_ I am _amazed _you lived as long as you have, Baldy." Simone shook her head and walked ahead, climbing up a vantage point. "'_What's wrong?' _Your fuckin' brain, that's what's wrong." I said under my breath. I followed Simone and Baldy followed.

"I'm coming up there with you." She persisted.

I shook my head again and shoved her back. She'd probably fuck something up. "I would not advise that, commander."

She fumed and kicked the ground "How many times do I have to-"

Simone motioned for me to join her. I turned back to Baldy, getting close to her face. I clasped my hand around her mouth to silence her. In a hushed voice, I told her, "I am _not_ going to be nice to you when you do not listen to my better judgment." I removed my hand. I crouched up to Simone's position and lied down on my belly.

"We have problems." She pointed out about 7 raiders surrounding the area. At least two of them had rocket launchers.

I grumbled. So fuckin' annoying.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too. What are we going to do?"

I surveyed the area myself, looking at different pathways, looking for explosive things like cars or motorcycles. There just so happened to be a motorcycle leaning up against a wall. There were two raiders by it, one of which had the launcher. "I can hit that motorcycle down there. Can you snipe any of the other ones?"

Simone nodded. "No problem."

"Good." I rested on my elbows and aimed for the gas tank. With one good shot, that thing would explode instantly. "When I blow that up, you start. I will assume Baldy down there will open fire as well."

"Hey," I looked toward Simone, away from the sights. She looked at me. "Don't ever talk to her like that again."

"No?"

Simone got into my face. "Look, I don't know who you are. But I know who she is. She may be blind, deaf, and just plain ol' _dumb _sometimes, but that _doesn't _mean I treat her like shit. Now I suggest you start to share the same sentiment or we're gonna have problems, got that?" She backed off and took her rifle in her hands again. "I'm ready when you are, _prick_."

I took another moment to get over what just may or may not have happened, composed myself, then aimed down my sights. And like I predicted, I shot the motorcycle perfectly and blew three raiders into oblivion. Simone took out another one more before they started firing at us. Then Baldy came in, guns blazing, as expected. She took out the rest, except for the last rocket launcher. I sniped him just as he got his weapon on his shoulder. Baldy turned in his direction, looked up to where I was, and thrust her fist into the air. I nodded my head.

She forgets easily. I had me hand around her throat with every intention to bring her within a breath of death not two weeks ago. Here she is. Proud of me. Who the _fuck_ is this woman?

* * *

**Baldy**

The raiders lurking in the tunnels were no problem for us. Even Caleb got in on the action. He really was vicious with a sledgehammer. Everyone was riding high. They were so close to their new home. A home that was filled with promise and safety. The slaves put markers on the walls that directed escaped slaves to the Memorial. Honestly, it was more of a symbolic gesture for Hannibal. DC has become so much more of a battlefield than it was even five years ago. I could only hope that more slaves made it through than not in the coming months.

When we reached the surface, Hannibal and the rest of the team cheered. They congratulated me and thanked us over and over again. For a moment, I was happy. I had fulfilled the duty I promised to Hannibal and the others. They had a safe place to live. I had finally paid them back. Our caravan carefully made its way to the Memorial, the sun was slowly beginning to rise, the dim, grey light of morning peaking up in the east.

We got to the steps, and everyone cheered, elated to finally be in their new home. They were so happy and so grateful. I just wanted to eat something and go to bed. I shared their excitement, but I knew this wasn't my new home. Getting out and about awakened the fire that pushed me to move. I wasn't a sedentary person, never really was. I have bouts of being happy in one place, but that never lasts for very long.

Anyways, Charon and I ate with the slaves and were forced to at least stay for a day or two. We had to recover still. We didn't protest. Charon couldn't travel yet either. A good night's sleep would serve him well. Bill and Alejandra had extra stimpacks, enough to heal the worst of my injuries. I'd have to buy or loot more in the near future. I'd ask around if anyone knew of any hospitals nearby. I just enjoyed our dinner with the others in the Memorial. We ate in peace, still overjoyed. Charon didn't say anything, but he almost seemed relaxed. He didn't sit straight as a board and he ate freely- I didn't have to instruct him. He ate quickly though, parting from the group once he was done.

The sun had risen, casting a beautiful orange and red hue on our little family. I stood up and walked out beyond the pillars. One of the boots Charon had chucked from before was lying on the steps. I grinned.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He shook his head and grunted.

"Why aren't you eating with the others?"

"They keep staring."

There was a long pause between us. They were intimidated by him. The slaves are always so open and affectionate with each other, so _normal_. But Charon wasn't that. Some would argue he wasn't even human. But I knew they were wrong. Charon was human. He was a man. A broken, manipulated man, but a man nonetheless. He had a heart that beat in his chest and a pair of lungs that sucked in air. Not some cold, metal machinery that ran on nuclear power. A man I couldn't continue feeling only apathy for. I shouldn't be so hard on him.

I looked up at him. "Charon-"

He looked down at me with a sideways look. "Hm?"

I got my bearings and just said it. "Judith." I took in another deep breath and said it again. "My name is Judith."

Charon let out a 'hmph' and turned his attention back to the sunrise. "Nice to meet you, Judith."

* * *

**Charon**

Judith. I was working for Judith. Judith was a slave but now she's not. Judith is addicted to Med-X. Judith eats more Pork and Beans than anyone else I've ever met. Judith has thanked me and also apologized to me. I don't know how to respond to either gesture. I almost battered her to a pulp while under Ahzrukhal's employment, and not because he told me to. She talks to me and asks me questions. She told me to ask her a question and I can't seem to stop. I am to protect her and that is it. I'm not supposed to like her or hate her. She's not supposed to like or hate me. This is to be a purely neutral employment. But for some foreign reason, a part of me feels compelled to know why she does the things she does.

Judith eventually sat down and watched the sunrise. She looked up at me.

"Charon, what were your past employers like?"

I shrugged. "Not like you."

"What does that mean? Is that good or bad?" She never looked away.

I tilted my head, "I don't know yet."

She started swinging her legs. "So how am I different?"

I looked down at her. "I do not think you understand my purpose. I do not matter. It does not matter what I like or do not like. It does not matter if I am comfortable or not."

"But you're human."

"Not really."

"But you are." She lit a cigarette. "A human has opinions of people. You hated Ahzrukhal. That's pretty clear." She blew smoke out through her mouth. "But you're on the fence with me, I think. You've protested in your own way to something I've said or done and in general just gotten really fuckin' annoyed with me." She paused, "Disliking a person is a pretty basic human trait. But what's interesting is you've asked me questions about me that were unprompted.

"That leads me to believe you think about me, or at least are trying to figure me out. A dog doesn't try figuring out his master, y'know? He just loves him unconditionally. I know for a _fact _that you don't love me in any degree." I must have looked surprised because she said this next. "You didn't think I thought about you either. So, all I need to know is yes or no. If no, I'll never talk to you again. If yes, then I'll keep talking with you."

I uncrossed my arms and rested my fists on my hips. I leaned on one leg and shook my head. "U-uhm, sure. Go ahead."

A wide smile spread across her face, and I couldn't help but stare for a second. The rising sun cast a golden light across her face. Her eyes were clear and blue, her scars looked less ragged and prominent. She looked, good. "Good! Because if you had said 'no', I'd get very bored otherwise." She finished her cigarette before standing up. "I'm going to sleep. You should too." I watched her as she walked away for a minute before going after her. I followed her into one of the tents and hoisted myself into a bunk.

Judith is my employer. This is to remain a purely neutral employment. I'm not sure what that means anymore.


	6. Chapter 6 - Old Friends

**Judith**

I woke up feeling completely refreshed. Charon was cleaning his gun by lamp light. He glanced up then back down at his work.

"We were asleep for a day."

I sat up on my elbow, a little surprised. "A whole _day?"_

He grunted.

"Have you eaten?"

He shook his head.

"You're an idiot."

He looked at me and planted his hand on his knee. He looked at me waiting for an explanation.

"I don't know how many times I have to say it, you can do stuff without my permission. If you're hungry, eat. If you're thirsty, drink. If you're tired, sleep." I got out of bed and over to my pack. I pulled out a can of Pork and Beans for myself and a can of Cram for my friend. I tossed it at him. "How long have you been awake?"

"8 hours."

"What have you been _doing _this whole time?!"

He grumbled.

"Oh, so you sat there and grumbled, staring at my while I slept. Did you at least clean up after jerking off?"

"I scouted around."

"For 8 hours?"

"No."

"So what else did you do?" He kept shoving food into his face, trying to avoid the question. "What else did you do?" I asked again with a sterner tone.

He stopped for a moment and looked up out, away from me. "Hannibal asked for some advice, setting up defenses. So I helped him."

I raised an eyebrow and cocked a crooked grin. Help, eh? Charon willingly helped someone. "Good boy." I handed him a bottle of Scotch. He looked at it, confused. He held it in the glistening light.

"What is this."

"Alcohol. What does it look like?"

"Is it for me? Or are you making me hold it for you?"

"All for you. Don't share it. Unless I tell you to."

He uncorked it and guzzled a quarter of the bottle down like he hadn't drank in weeks. When he was done he looked back at the bottle and let out a harsh sigh. "You're not getting any of this."

I chuckled and turned around. I quickly got dressed, gathering everything up and stuffing in its appropriate place. Charon finished his breakfast after a few more boxes of Sugar Bombs, downing it with the occasional shot of scotch before we set out. I said goodbye to the other slaves before we left. It's a miracle that I lasted for a year without blowing all their heads off. Not because I hated them, I just can't stand being cooped up. They sent me off with a handful of stimpacks and some food.

I was desperately needing more Med-X, so the hospital in Vernon Square seemed most likely. We crawled through the metro, fending off a handful of raiders and a pack of mirelurk hunters. We made it to Vernon Square in the middle of a fight between a pack of Brotherhood dicks and Super Mutants. We waited for the smoke to clear before running into the hospital. All was going well until we were ambushed. There were easily 8 Muties on the first floor alone!

We fended them off well enough until an Overlord came out of nowhere. We ducked behind a counter.

"How are you doing on ammo?" I asked, reloading Heavy myself.

Charon rifled through his pack for 3 seconds. "Enough. You?"

"I'm good." A grenade landed at our feet. I shoved Charon out of the way before getting up myself. A few pieces of shrapnel cut up my legs. I was in a position where I had to lay fire. Charon came in, having some cover behind an overturned gurney. I took what seemed like a lifetime of fire before the Overlord bastard _finally _went down. I only had 2 stimpacks left, so I used them in the areas that needed it most. But I was in rough shape. Bullet wounds tore open my flesh and shrapnel was still stuck in my legs. Charon arrived at my side.

"Why did you shove me?!" He demanded, assessing my condition. But before I had time to respond, he up and left, mumbling something about finding supplies. Lo and behold, after many loud crashes and even louder curses, he arrived with another 5 stimpacks and a shot of Med-X. He picked me up and _tried_ to set me on a flat, level surface.

"PUT ME, THE _FUCK_ DOWN." I squirmed out of his arms and fell to the floor. I got the wind knocked out of me.

"The hell-?" He tried picking me up again.

I swatted him away. "I _told _you that you may _only_ make physical contact with me _when I- I_!" I attempted to stick myself with the stimpacks when my arms suddenly just, didn't work. I looked at Charon and spoke with labored breaths "Okay, permission granted."

I passed out after that. I woke up to Charon emptying a bottle of dirty water on my face. "You good?" He asked.

"How long was I out?" I wiped my face.

"Not long." He handed me another bottle of water. "You lost too much blood."

"No shit," I chugged about half the bottle. "Thank you."

He stood up, looking around the room. When I was ready to stand, I stretched my hand out and he helped me up. By the end of us clearing out the floor we had more stimpacks than we knew to do with. I found plenty doses of Rad-X, Rad-Away, and Med-X. We did some more snooping around, finding a couple of locked safes, as well as another wave of Mutants and their Centaurs. They were dealt with faster than the group downstairs. We were about to move out when the little radio sprang back to life. The dish was officially up!

Three Dog sang the Kid's praises before putting the music on. And _just _when I was enjoying the music again, the little radio picked up another signal that was interfering with GNR. I tuned in. A distress call. Reilly's Rangers were trapped on the roof of the building next to ours. They were missing Reilly and their quartermaster Theo. Fuck, Theo? My face must have changed because Charon grunted to get my attention.

"This stimpak run just got a little longer."

He grunted.

"I used to work with Theo."

We made sure we didn't leave anything important behind before heading to the roof access. We walked across the felled radio tower and fell into the hotel. We dispatched the Super Mutants before scavenging the floor for valuables. I came across a little alcove with a soda machine and some food. I was just about to knock the machine silly when Charon yanked me by the back of my shirt.

"Pay attention." He growled and pointed to the floor. There was a pressure plate that I, just seconds before, almost activated. I thanked Charon as he deactivated the trap. Charon gathered the food on the other side of the alcove. Not too far from the little snack area, there was a clear staircase. We traversed it, deactivating the traps that came across, and at the landing was Theo's body.

"Oh, Theo." I stooped down and brushed the hair from his face. I closed his eyes and looked over his wounds. It was obvious it was a frag grenade that did him in. There was blood everywhere and his left leg was detached from his body.

"How did you know him?" Charon was standing over me and the body, his gun in his hands.

I looked down at Theo's face. "We were in the same merc group a while back." I patted his cheek before collecting the munitions by and on his body. "It's not like your death was a complete waste." The amount he had was very helpful. I stood up and took another look at his cold body. He had a heart murmur. Perhaps this was a better way for him to go. He'd rather die fighting than in his sleep.

"I have my confirmation. Lets go."

"What about the others?"

I shrugged. "I don't know if I want to risk dying for a bunch of strangers."

"I will follow your orders."

"I haven't given any orders."

"You will soon."

"How do you know?"

"I don't. But I know you will sooner or later."

"What if I want your opinion?" He sighed and glanced at me. "Ahzrukhal did say you had a sense of morality. You two didn't see eye to eye, so what do you suggest we do?"

He kicked a couch out of his path and ducked under a board. "I think they should at least know what happened to their teammate."

"Well, we have nothing _better _to do. Half way there. Might as well."

"Wait a second, this is _your _decision, not _mine._"

"I know. I have decided we should tell them about Theo."

"But you just-"

I stopped walking and faced Charon, staring him straight in the eye. "Am I not allowed to change my mind?"

He grumbled at me.

* * *

**Charon**

She's going to be the death of me. That woman is going to make me feel again whether I like it or not and I'm going to slip up and get myself killed, either for her or for me. I didn't like it. I didn't like it one bit. But there was seemingly nothing I could do to stop it. Focus. I had to stay sharp. A mutant she didn't hear coming. I split his head open before she even got the engine going.

There were a few more Mutants lumbering around before we made it to the bar with roof access. I could hear them stomping around behind the door, so I made her keep quiet as I carefully assessed how many enemies we were up against. There were easily 6 of those fuckers in the room. At least one of them was an Overlord. I carefully closed the door and turned to Judith. "We've got company. I'll toss a couple grenades in before we storm the room. Sound good?"

"Why not just rush in, guns blazing?"

"There's 6 of them, one an Overlord. If anything, the grenades might cripple their legs and slow down a few of them."

"Go for it."

I pulled the pin on frags and lobbed them at the feet of the Super Mutants on the main floor. My plan seemed to work enough. It disoriented them long enough for Judith and I to get the upper hand. She would take care of the Overlord while I took care of the rest. The room was cleared quickly. Judith kept swearing at the bodies, wiping blood from her face. She took a few extra stimpacks than I, but nothing she couldn't handle. There was a supply closet where I found a fission battery and some caps. She took them gladly. We continued to the roof.

There was gunfire, followed by silence. We made it to the Rangers in one piece. They rushed us over, warning of another wave of the mutants. Judith and I sat back as they dispatched them. After the front was dealt with, Judith broke the news about Theo and got the run down on the Rangers situation. I surveyed the base while they were speaking. I looked for points of escape, weaknesses in their defenses, their supply of rations and ammunition. They were really hurting. The state of the crew was bad. They all looked very tired and verging on dehydrating.

"What about Reilly?" Butcher asked.

"I don't know where she is."

"She's in Underworld." I interjected. "She's in the clinic recovering."

They both turned to me. "Why didn't you say that before, Charon?" Judith asked, clearly un-amused.

I shrugged. "You were in the clinic too. I thought you saw her. But I guess I should know better by now."

She lightly punched my arm. "In any case, you guys should head back to the Ranger Compound and we can pick up Reilly in Underworld."

The elevator was fixed, we escaped the rest of the hotel, and we split up. Judith and I headed back to Underworld. We passing the metro system when we ran into Reilly herself. Judith quickly explained the situation, and Reilly told us Butcher had contacted her via radio already. We followed her back to Anacostia, through the metro, and into the battlefield that became of the land just outside the Compound. There were Talon mercs and Super Mutants duking it out. We kept our heads low and followed Reilly to safety. Upon arrival, the rest of the Rangers were overjoyed to see their leader in one piece. They were grateful to see us.

They thanked us again, but Judith wanted to get going. They convinced her to stay the night, at the very least. So we did. There was an extra bunk bed, Theo's, we would use. Judith was feeling cramped up, so she went outside for a breather. I stayed behind to eat and maintain my shotgun. The Rangers came up to me occasionally, tried starting a conversation, and when they learned that wouldn't work, they made up an excuse to work or calibrate or some shit like that. I got done with my work, and Judith still hadn't come back. I decided to join her outside. She was sitting on the stoop, smoking. She glanced at me when upon my arrival, cigarette dangling out of her mouth. "Let's split."

"Are you bothered by something?"

"No. Why?"

"First, you are a _terrible_ liar. Second, you're pulling this aloof bullshit again. Did you and that Theo guy ever fuck?"

"We tried but it didn't work."

I shook my head. "What?"

"We tried having a more physical relationship but we discovered that it wouldn't work out."

"How come?"

She shrugged. "Complicated medical stuff." She took a few more puffs of her cigarette. "Have you ever lost someone close to you?"

"No."

"Not even before you were brainwashed?"

"I had a friend who died sorta because of me. But I didn't dwell on it. I fucked up, but I cannot bring people back from the dead. I got over it because there was nothing else I could do."

"'Nothing else I could do'." She repeated, staring up at the sky. Smoke blew out her nose. "That's fair." She perked up a bit, snuffed out her cig, and walked back inside the compound. Judith kept quiet unless she was spoken to, but she didn't look sad anymore. Dinner was quickly over and it was time for bed. Brick was shoving this ugly green armor into Judith's hands. She thanked her for it, and immediately tossed it to me. "That leather armor is falling apart. Wear this instead." I put it on, realized it was impossible to sleep in it, and Judith chuckled. She told me it could wait. It was about 5 when we left the compound the next morning.


	7. Chapter 7 - Families

**Judith**

We eventually made it outside the barriers of the capitol. We started heading west, following the cracked and decaying roads for about a month. They still served a purpose to us. Staying close to the roads will eventually take you somewhere, like where a town once stood. But roads also attract raiders and Mutants. We cleared them out, while making a nice amount of caps. We stayed for a little while in Megaton but never really stayed inside the walls for too long. That fuckin' bomb makes me so goddamn nervous. We spent most of our time killing packs of raiders getting a little too close for comfort. We were sent up to the Super Duper mart to look for supplies for some crazy broad. She was paying us well, so it didn't matter too much what she was like.

This particular market was obviously a raider den. Where there are raiders, there are drugs, and probably food. I needed both. We cleared the guards and kicked the Nuka-Cola machines for their contents. I didn't even bother trying to be sneaky coming in, I just whipped out Heavy and opened fire on all who tried to stop us. I got hit a few times, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. We picked the place clean.

The actual raid on the Super Market wasn't that important, it was what happened immediately afterward.

We were headed back to Megaton when we were approached by a frantic little kid. He kept going on about how the monsters were going to get him. I asked him to calm down, and he did surprisingly. He explained what had happened, I talked to him a little more, and I ended up with a key to some dumpster. "Don't worry Bryan, I'm not going to leave you behind. I'll find out what happened to your father and where these monsters are coming from. If anything comes for you, use this. You know how to use a gun?" I handed him my 10mm pistol.

"Papa taught me how to use something similar to this one a while ago. I think it'll help. Thanks lady."

"No problem Bryan, we'll follow you to Grayditch."

We followed close behind the nimble little kid. What awaited us in Grayditch was _not _what I was expecting. There was an entire fuckin' _army _of ants that spewed goddamned _fire!_ We figured out the sappy nectar they were carrying had fire resistance properties. We spread that over our exposed skin. It was a pretty interesting sensation. The nectar made us feel warm, but not like the sun warm. I could feel it go beneath the skin and into the muscle, not just the surface.

We finally reached Bryan's house. Half of me was hoping his father would be alive, but the other half knew already he was dead. Ants are pretty easy to kill, it would be no surprise if Bryan's father thought these ants wouldn't be trouble. We walked into the house to find the battle scene. My heart dropped a little when I found Bryan's father dead. There were bodies of ants surrounding him and a fire going a few feet away. I stared at the body a little longer before collecting myself and heading out the door.

I was gonna find the source of these goddamn ants and destroy it.

I found Bryan again in the shelter. He demanded an answer. I took a deep breath in. "Bryan, I'm afraid your father has died."

"He's… He's dead? I guess I already knew. Besides, I'm too tired to cry anymore."

My heart started beating really hard again. I wasn't sure if I was just getting really passionate about helping Bryan or if my body was telling me it needed more Med-X, but I stooped down and put my hands on his shoulders, looked him straight in the eye, and said to him "I will stop whatever started this, I swear to you."

"You gotta stop it so this can't happen to anyone else's family every again!"

"I know Bryan, I'll do everything I can so you'll be safe, okay? You need to tell me when this all started and if anything new happened right before the ants came."

"Well, there was this scientist man that came to live in that shack over there. Pappa didn't like him at all, called him things like 'egghead'. His head looked normal shaped to me. I have the key to his home if you want it."

I stood up straight again after I received the key. "That really helps, thank you Bryan. You should stay here until I've destroyed the source. I'll come back to you when it's done."

"Thanks for doing all this… I'm feeling better now that you're here."

I grinned and smoothed his hair before giving him something to eat. I closed the shelter door and approached the scientists' shack. There was a dusty robot in the corner, some science-y looking shit on the shelves, and a computer on a desk. I'm not too good with terminals, so I started looking around for anything that might have a password written on it. I found a holotape that did just that. I got onto the computer and discovered "Dr. Weston Lesko" was responsible for the creation of the fire ants. The first entry said he was going to Marigold Station.

I got out of the shack as quickly as I could heading for Marigold Station, driven by anger and a desire to set things right- but there were so many _fuckin' ants _I thought they'd _never _go away. Once we made it to the entrance, Charon spotted 5 more of them coming out of the metal gate. We mowed them down as they crawled from the dark abyss.

I looked at Charon before we went through the metal gates. Neither of us knew how many were down there. There could have been hundreds more. I don't know if Charon sensed the uncertainty in my eyes or just wanted me to get moving, but he gave a quick, low nod. I nodded back, feeling a little better knowing he had my back. I took a hit of Med-X right before I revved up Heavy's engine. We whacked through the ants with some difficulty, there were leaking gas lines everywhere in the metro and those fuckin' ants set every single one of them on fire. We got to the last open tunnel and opened a door on the left.

The fuckin' nerd was standing right in the doorway, damn near gave me a heart attack. He started rambling some science-y mumbo jumbo, it took me forever to get to the bottom of what he wanted me to do. We had to kill the Ant Queen's soldiers and she'd stop laying eggs, or something. I asked how it all happened in the first place. He mutated the ants, and he _admitted _to killing the town.

That fucking _bastard _felt no remorse for any of it.

In fact, he seemed to care very _little _about anyone, especially the families he _destroyed. _Bryan is an orphan now, thanks to this heartless bastard. How_ dare _he have the gall to _continue _the experiments like he never did anything wrong. I kept my mouth shut, but I was _fuming_. After he was done explaining himself, I shoved past him and into the hatchery. I started shooting down every ant I saw. I felt nothing but burning rage. How could he _do _that? How could he destroy an entire town and feel like his actions were entirely justified? I mowed down the last ant, leaving only the queen. I opened fire on the queen as she shot globs of god-knows-what at us. Charon shot out her antennae and soon after that the battle was over. We picked through the cavern she was nesting in and grabbed any extra supplies. "Should we kill him?"

"Who."

"The scientist."

"Up to you."

"I'm indecisive."

"What is more important, his research or Bryan?"

I walked through the wooden door, pulled out my pistol, and blew the bastards brains out.

***Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear from you, be it positive or negative. Any sort of feedback helps!*****  
**


	8. Chapter 8 - Previous Employers

**Charon**

She is entirely driven by her emotions. I don't see how the life of one kid outweighs this guy's years of research and development. I have no clue what this guy was trying to do, but he was obviously very dedicated and smart. True those ants were a fuckin' nightmare, but Judith got so upset she didn't even think twice about putting that bullet through his brain. It's not like Bryan was injured or anything. He seems sad about the whole thing, but not mad. Really, Judith is more upset than Bryan it seems. What does she care about one kid that ain't even hers?

Judith was quiet as she took anything that was useful to her that the late doctor once owned. She was taking deep breaths, I think trying to calm down. As we got moving, she loosened up again. We made it back to the surface and Judith immediately returned to Bryan. They jabbered on about safety and thankfulness and everything people with any love and humanity left in 'em talk about. Judith even hugged, _hugged, _the little snot. She genuinely looked happy when they figured out where he could go and live. Apparently Bryan has an aunt in Rivet City that he was going to go stay with. I was just relieved that we finally got out of that burnt out town.

"Why did you help him?"

She brushed herself off and continued forward. "I have a thing for kids."

The response was too quick and too rehearsed. I asked "Why?"

She turned to me and said in a sour tone, "Do I need a reason?"

"I am curious."

"Children are defenseless in a world full of things trying to kill. Not just kill them, but just kill _everything_."

"Why did you get so angry?"

"Because that dirt bag was worse than a thing trying to kill; he killed with no purpose. He destroyed things residually and didn't even feel sorry for it. At least raiders kill to loot and animals kill to protect themselves or eat, but this guy was just so careless with life."

It took a minute for her response to sink. I blurted ten seconds later "So you're okay with Raiders slaughtering dozens of innocent lives but _not _okay with that guy accidentally killing six people?"

"I would have been okay with it if the guy who accidentally killed six people had felt any remorse for what he did. If he had killed the remaining ants himself. If he had killed the queen and moved onto other scientific pursuits. But he _didn't_. A world can't carry on with lunatics just killing with no purpose. People die for a reason. If they didn't, mankind would have gone extinct thousands of years ago."

"Really."

"Yes! If you think about it, if we just killed each other for no significant reason then we'd probably be killing each other _all_ the time. Someone tripped me, I blow their fucking brains out. I spill a guy's drink, I'm eviscerated."

"Evisc- what?"

"He guts me. Raiders, however, kill with the intent to loot your body. They have a goal. They group together to accomplish this goal. And then there are people like us who work to stop them from accomplishing their goal. We have to control ourselves. We have to work together in order to do that. People can't live in chaos for very long. Dr. Lesko threw lives into chaos and I sought to correct it when he refused to."

I stared at her for a moment. I felt like saying something, but she had already made me think about anything other than violence again. So I didn't say anything. Judy led us further down the road when we were interrupted by a deserted town of raiders. We shot them down as they came, they had the entire town as their own. I took cover behind a bus shelter as Judy drew their fire. She could really take a beating. It could be the Med-X she's almost constantly hyped up on, but she just takes round after round and never slows down. We ran for higher ground to get a better vantage point when Judith fell through a hinged grate.

"Do you require assistance?"

Judith looked up and pointed in front of her "Nah! There's a door down here! We're going through it."

"The entrance to the Metro is just over there."

"What are you worried about? It'll be fun!"

"I would not advise-"

"To hell with your advisory, we're going in this way." She proceeded to kick in the rusted blue door and charge through. I followed her, even more on edge than I was before.

"Are you always this reckless?"

She shrugged "Pretty much. I didn't get these scars from playing it safe." She walked up a flight of stairs. There was a quick burst of gunfire, it didn't last long enough for me to jump in. "Ha ha! This is what throwing caution to the wind gets us." We walked straight into the utility room, shelves of ammo boxes and supplies lying about. A freshly dead raider lied in the corner.

She plunged headfirst into a raider den with a smile on her face and a lightness in her voice. She hummed a little song on as she restocked herself and shoved shotgun shells into my hands. Just as we were done looting the room the rest of the gang showed up. We had the advantage of being attacked from below, so the fight went fast. Judith stomped around the cramped tunnels until she found everything she wanted. We returned to the surface, killed a few more stragglers, and continued down the road.

* * *

**Judith**

We trekked another mile or two before I spotted a church. These things always give me the creeps. They're _always _infested with monsters of the wastes of some sort. Plus, dead bodies are _buried _underneath the ground. I don't think there's a creepier way to dispose of the dead. I mean, _burning _the body makes the most sense. And I guess if there were things still growing, a burial wouldn't be so bad. You'd at least be feeding the flowers and trees and animals and what not. But from what I've read, they bury the people in coffins and just leave their bodies there to rot. That's _disgusting. _The thought that not six feet below, I could be standing over twenty dead bodies. I realized a fight was on our hands, and in order to not become a dead body myself I took a hit of Med-X and revved Heavy's engines and proceeded forth.

_Sick motherfuckers, those raiders are. _Some poor sod came running around the side of the church, _on fire, pleading for his life in between screams of agony_ as his flesh melted off his bone. I back peddled about ten feet in anticipation of the flame thrower that was coming my way. I rained metal the moment I saw the barrel of the thrower peak around the edge. I could feel the intense heat engulf my body as he tried burning me to crisp and as I filled the bastard with lead. Sweat poured down my already filthy, dirty body. I could feel sweat fall from my scalp and over my forehead, flowing with the curve of my forehead, trickle down my cheeks and finally drip off my chin. The guy was down just in time for me to reload. Charon was finishing up with two less equipped raiders in the grave yard. I trusted him with it, so I proceeded onward into the church. The place was rigged, much to my dismay. I pulled the trigger and some beads of shot grazed my leg from a combat shotgun. I could hear Charon's heavy footsteps behind me running at a fast pace.

"I'm okay," I put my hands up, "I just-"

Charon shoved me out of the way and fired three shots at a raider in the corner. My beast on a leash shot one more round through the dead body to make sure it was dead. He looked at me and I looked at him, bewildered. How many times are we going to have this look between each other? This is the third time in a month this has happened. I thank him with a nod and replenished some of my perspired liquids. I went through a whole bottle of water, much to my dismay. Conveniently, Charon shoved me to the podium which hid two doses of Med-X and three stimpacks. The rest of the room was pretty standard, half the ammo boxes were filled with ammo that I never fuckin' use, two hundred year old food, some plastic bottles of dirty water, and oh- would you look at this, human meat on skewers. Great.

"We passed an overturned truck down the road. We'll stay there for the night." I turned on my heels and left the church yard, trying not to breath in the stench of burning flesh and death.

The truck was much cleaner, comparatively. There was even some useful ammo for me to use. "Yes, this is much better!" I laid my stuff down in the back and stretched out a little bit. We hadn't been there longer than 20 minutes until I got my fingers into the poor charred sod's booze stash in the footlocker by his bed. It even came with a shot glass! "Lookie what I found!" I held up a bottle of whisky and a bottle of beer. "Pick your poison."

I was sitting on the elevated ledge on which the mattress lay. He grunted at the brew. He was standing over me.

I opened it for him and handed it over. He gladly accepted it, taking a healthy swig. "You can sit down, y'know."

Charon sat up against the wall, sucking on his beer. I took a shot of whisky, but the same warmth it usually gave me felt very uncomfortable. Images of the man running away screaming engulfed in flames turned me off to drinking hard liquor that night. I corked the bottle and put it away in my pack. Charon looked at me inquisitively.

"I can't handle the heat tonight. I got enough of it when that pyromaniac nearly incinerated me."

He nodded and grunted. He then offered me a drink, holding out the brown bottle. I was surprised at first. I smiled and accepted the offer. "Thanks." I took a drink and handed it back. We ate dinner in comfortable silence until Charon asked me a question.

"Are you ever really afraid?"

I was really sort of blown away by that question. "Whoa, where did that come from?"

"You smile a lot, but you didn't as much with Bryan. You charged headfirst into that door beneath the grate, but you hesitated going into Marigold Metro."

"Hmm," I tilted my head back, staring through a small hole in the ceiling. The sky was getting dark. "Well, first, I've never faced fire ants before and I didn't know how many were down there. Plus, I had a mission, and I don't like failing missions. Especially if they end in my death.

"Second, and I think more importantly, I can't take everything seriously all the time. When you take things seriously there is room for fear. If I did take everything seriously, if I did let fear take up a lot of my energy, I probably would have blown my brains out a long time ago." I looked at him again. "There are just some things I'm willing to take very seriously. Helping defenseless children is one of those things. Charging into unknown metros on my own time isn't that big of a deal. There's nobody relying on me." I grinned. "Relating back to our earlier conversation, balancing chaos and order are important. There are times for chaos and there are times for order."

Charon took a moment to formulate his carefully chosen words. "You've spent too much time alone."

I threw my head back as a loud, hearty laugh echoed through the wastes. "_You _are telling _me!"_

I got a genuine grin and chuckle out of Charon that night. The first I had heard in my 90 some-odd days of working with him. "How about you? Do you ever get afraid?"

"No. I don't think I do."

"You don't think?"

He shrugged. "Fear clouds thought. I get on edge when my employer is endangered."

"What about when no lives are threatened? Is there anything you've thought about that you don't want to happen?"

"Employer dying. Then I have to sell myself."

"Why is that scary?"

"It's not scary, it just isn't pleasant. People who purchase my contract usually aren't the do-good type. Talon Company, slavers, raiders."

"Slavers."

"It wasn't long. I only went on one run. They mostly made me stand guard of the entrance."

It was silent for minute. I don't remember him from my time there. None of the slaves recognized him. He broke eye contact first. I swallowed to clear my throat. "You don't like the idea of selling your own contract."

"No."

"I can see how that's unpleasant. But what about you, though? Aside from the employer dying, what is something you're afraid of?"

"I don't fear, Judith. It was scrubbed from my brain. I only fear the death of my employer."

"So, no spiders? Clowns?"

He thought for a moment. "I've never liked birds. They think I'm dead when I sleep and they try pecking out my eyes."

I chuckled. "Speaking of which, we should sleep. I'm getting tired."

"I killed the slavers. I didn't take anyone back to Paradise Falls alive."

I was silent for a moment. "It wasn't like you chose to be employed by them. I'll see you in the morning."

*Sorry I haven't posted anything, this week has been a little crazy! Hope you enjoy! Reviews help! Thank you for reading!*


	9. Chapter 9 - Questions

We continued further south taking out a few stray robots and a pack of vicious dogs along the way. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon when we made it to Arlington, and oh boy, what a sight. What a sight meaning, raiders patrolling the main road, raiders in the buildings, and raiders camped out on the side of the road. The road wasn't so bad, but the camp of them was a _bitch _to take out. They had a turret programmed, _somehow. _I guess if you go through enough of those Mentats, _anything _is possible. Things took a turn when a raider with a fuckin' missile launcher blew up _one _car, which set the other cars on fire-

"They're gonna blow! Get down!" Charon jumped on top of me, three seconds later every single engine erupted in a chain reaction. I could feel we got buried underneath some rubble, though that might just have been Charon. He's a heavy bastard. When everything calmed down, Charon looked over his shoulder at the wreckage. Everything was blown back and the raiders vaporized. I couldn't hear anything for a good ten minutes. I just lied on the asphalt face up, paying as close attention to anything that could be happening outside my own body.

I could only hear my heart beat, my own breaths, and a high pitched tone in my head. After securing the area, Charon helped me to my feet. He tried saying something but I only shook my head. He tried yelling it, so I yelled at him back. "I can't hear a goddamn thing!" I mimed a rocket launcher firing a missile, followed by a massive explosion, then explosions in my ears, and sorta wobbled back and forth. He got the message, so we hung out for a couple minutes to gain our senses back. We sat on the bridge where the was once a fence and our feet dangling over the edge. There were two beers the raiders hadn't opened that we shared together.

It was really nice. It was the nicest moment I had since helping the slaves. Charon and I were contently drinking our beers in the morning light, watching the sun come up. We each had our own thoughts, but we were sharing that moment together. Everything was quiet and peaceful. Sure, it wasn't by choice, but it surprisingly felt really good just to sit and enjoy non violent bonding time with Charon. I could start to sense my hearing coming back, but I didn't ruin in the moment. I was happy there for another fifteen minutes. I held out my beer bottle and let it shatter against the pavement.

"Could you hear that?" I asked, turning to my companion. His face was still bathed in yellow and orange light. It blended in with his raw features, making his face less traumatizing to look at.

"Yes."

I grinned, squinting in the growing light. "Are we ready to keep moving?"

"I am ready when you are."

* * *

**Charon**

The taste of stale beer lingered on my tongue and in my nose. It would not be a taste I'd forget.

Judith walked into a building with big, thick, red doors. There was a platoon of those Brotherhood of Steal types ambling around the lobby. A woman with short blonde hair stopped us. She was sitting behind the front desk.

"You're not allowed here, state your- oh shit it's _you_."

"Well look who it is, my _old friend _Scribe Yearling!"

She said in a low voice, "I wouldn't go so far as to call us friends." Red flushed her cheeks as she tried to remain as calm as possible.

Judith swung her hips side to side as she walked up to the counter. She rested an elbow on the counter and rested her chin on her fist. A wolfish grin spread across her face. "What are you doing in this neck of the woods?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Judith leaned in closer, and in a dark, low, cool voice she cooed "Ah, but I asked _first_." Judith was putting on an act I had never seen from her yet. She was clearly messing with this woman.

"If you get your _putrid _face away from me I _might _tell you."

"You wanted this putrid face between your legs not ten months ago!" Judith jumped back laughing, clapping in delight at her retort. The scribe couldn't help but turn as red as her robes. The other paladins in the rooms started snickering.

Scribe Yearling stood up straight as a board and shouted, "Your behavior is simply boorish! I will not tolerate it any longer! Get _out _of this library or I'll have you _killed!_"

Judith calmed down, the smile however, had not faded. "Okay, okay, I'm _sorta _sorry. You did call my face putrid, and you _did _leave yourself _wide open_ for that. Lighten up."

"No, I will not lighten up! That was disrespectful and lewd and I will not stand being treated like that."

"Fine, fine, how can I make it up to you?"

"We're looking for undamaged Pre-War books for the archives. Accompany my men and find all you can and bring them back to me. I'll pay you one hundred caps if you bring back ten books. Then I never want to see you again."

Judith didn't have anything more to say than another sly look across her face. Judith avoided the firefight and hung out in the halls until the Brotherhood had dealt with the raiders. Lazy.

"Did you love her and leave her or somethin'?" I asked.

She said slowly as she was searching a pile of books, "So many _questions_ from you lately."

"Would you rather I keep quiet?"

"Nope!" She pulled one single book out of the tall stack and the rest came crashing down. "She and a small group of recon soldiers came by the Temple a could months back to gather information. They didn't approach us directly, but rather tried watching us from a distance. Simone called them out a day into their operation and they were forced to gather information face to face." She tried lifting a small shelf. "Could you help me with this one?"

I did so and she continued talking. "They were stuck with us for two weeks. Partially because there was an influx of yao guai roaming about, and also Scribe Yearling developed a crush on me. Apparently, having no hair on your head means you're a dyke."

"You aren't?"

Judith yelled at me and gave me a solid punch in the ribs. "I'm not, you fucking prick. But she wasn't very subtle in her affections, so I had to call her out and she got really embarrassed and I thought it was hilarious."

"That isn't very sincere." I handed her a book that she ran past.

"So fucking what. If that's the worst thing that happens to her in her life then she's the luckiest woman in the world as far as I'm concerned." Judith slipped a third pre-war book under her arm. There were a few ammo boxes we cracked into that were hidden between the shelves. A few of them had ammo we could use, but it was mostly weak stuff. Probably gathered by the raiders with their low power weapons.

Judith continued the cycle of letting the Brotherhood do all the fighting while she just gathered supplies and books she found lying around. It was a really selfish thing to do, but I could understand why she was doing it. The Brotherhood paladins had superior firepower, were fighting underequipped enemies, and she had other things in mind. She cleared the first floor of supplies and intact books and moved onto the Children's wing. Again, same cycle. She entered a room off to the left and _snap!_

"Shit." She slammed the door and was blown back by an explosion on the other side. "That was close!" She opened the door again and entered the room. She turned to me as she was going to the other end. "How come you didn't say anything?"

"In front of you."

"Huh?" As she turned around, her face landed perfectly between the cold breasts of a dead, headless corpse hanging from the wall. The jingle of the chain and the sudden face to dead body impact made her jump about a foot into the air. I couldn't help but snicker.

"Shut up Charon!" She was shaking as she was steadying the body on the chain again. "Ugh, this is so fucking _gross_." She wiped blood and other corpse juices off her face.

"Serves you right."

"Oh since _when _did you give a fuck about lesbians? Especially ones you don't know?"

"Every man gives several fucks about lesbians."

It took her a moment to let the comment sink in. She gave me an impatient look before rolling her eyes. "I always forget that while your testicles have dropped off your body, they still rolled down the street and into the gutter to keep your mind company."

"I take issue with that statement."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

We moved out of that room and back into the hallway. She drank a bottle of dirty water while we searched. "What issue do you take?"

"I still have my testicles."

"Doesn't mean they work as they should."

"Still got'em though."

"So the state of having them-" her steps started wobbling. Her breath became more labored. She supported herself against the wall.

"What's wrong?"

She promptly threw up all over the floor. "I think I've got bad rad poisoning." She said between heaves. Her body shook and she fell out from under her weight. She sat up against the wall. A halo of sweat beaded on her brow.

"Do you require assistance?"

"Yeah. Get two packs of Radaway out of my bag. And a dose of Med-X while you're at it."

I shot her a glare. I only retrieved the Radaway. "I don't know how this works."

"I wouldn't expect you to. But please get me the Med-X."

"No."

Her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

"It will only make you sicker."

"You don't know why I take it."

"You are addicted."

"It's more than that."

"Give me one good reason why I should enable you."

"Because I asked."

We glared at each other for a moment. "I need a better reason."

Her face relaxed, there was even a flash of sadness in her eyes. "Because I'm in a lot of pain, Charon."

"What's wrong with you?"

Her face twitched with surprise, and for a moment I really thought she was going to cry. I guess my words cut deeper than I had intended. I relaxed. She responded well to that. I got the Med-X out for her. "How do I do this?" I held up the bags, one in each hand.

"You have to inject them into my arm. God, I really wish this wouldn't have happened-" She stopped to lean over and puke again. There wasn't much left in her stomach, so it was mostly bile. She wiped her nose and mouth. "Wouldn't have happened here." She looked very pale and ashen. Judith spat a couple times on the ground. "You are going to inject the Radaway into my bloodstream and I am going to tell you how to do it. Are you ready?"

I nodded my head, a bag in my hand. "First things first. We have to find a vein. Tighten the bandana around my arm. Good," She balled her fist and started flexing her arm. After a few flexes, a small thin bulge came up in the inside of her elbow. "See that right there? That's the vein you're going to use. Hit it a couple times and don't be gentle about it." I did exactly that and the vein popped out even more. "Good, now take the needle from the bag and stick it right in there. Hold the bag up as it's emptying into my blood." I took a deep breath in and pierced her with the needle. The liquid started flowing immediately. A Brotherhood paladin walked by.

"Is everything okay here?" He asked.

"Just doing a radiation treatment, no big deal." Judith snapped.

"We could take you back to the Citadel for a more, sanitary, procedure."

"I can handle this." And the conversation between them was over.

After the first bag she was starting to look better. We started the second bag. "Why do you hate the Brotherhood of Steel so much?"

"I don't hate them, they are just a bunch of hypocritical weirdoes and I just don't trust them. Three Dog says they're fighting 'the good fight', whatever the fuck that is, but the only thing I see them doing is trying to push their own beliefs and agendas. I don't know what they want from us, but I don't like it."

"Who said they want anything from you?"

"I guess they haven't, but they _worship _guns and metal. Doesn't that weird you out?"

"No."

"I guess my main point is they only stick to DC and Three Dog claims they're helping every wastelander. I see more Outcasts helping people out there in the wilds than these guys."

"Your color is coming back. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I am actually. I really need some water. Is there any purified stuff around?"

"I will look. Are you able to hold this on your own power?"

Judith grabbed the bag, after a second, nodded her head and I rushed off. I started looking in supply closets and on the bodies of the fallen. I didn't find purified water, but I did find a couple bottles of Rad-X. I returned to Judith, putting three capsules of Rad-X into a bottle of dirty water. I shook it up to help it dissolve. By the time the second bag was finished, the water was safe to drink. Judith took the needle out of her arm and gulped down half the bottle in one breath. She then promptly jabbed the opiate into herself. Her eyes closed and she sighed as the chemicals rushed in. When her eyes opened again, her pupils were dilated. "Shall we continue on?"

"You never answered me from before."

"What?"

"What's wrong with you to make you act this way?"

Judith rested her head against the wall, looking at my feet, then off to the side, at the floor, then back up at me. "Like I said, I'm in a lot of pain. It's hard for me to talk about, especially when I'm two inches away from my own vomit."

A part of me wanted to know more. Another, more comfortable, part of me was okay with the end of the conversation. The curious part of my mind itched and scratched for an answer. It stirred uncomfortably in my head. It clawed at the numb part of my mind. It whispered curious things to me, _What is she hiding from you? You've worked with her for six months. She's different than them. She gives a fuck about you. You want to know. This matters to you. You know that. You're trying to hide it, but you know it. You won't admit it, but she matters to you too._

I was able to smother that voice for the time being. But once you ask yourself something, it is hard to get that question out of your head.

***Thank you to Journeyman-93 for the message about the troll review on the last chapter. I really appreciate it! Also, sorry for not posting more regularly lately. College is picking up and my schedule has gotten really crazy. I'll get back on the track of posting every day or every other day. Thanks for reading!***


	10. Chapter 10 - Ailments

**Judith**

A part of me really wanted to tell Charon why I act the way I do. But a part of me also knew either one of us could die at any moment. If I got _so _attached to him and he were to die, I would have just put myself through more even more pain. But he asked, and I don't like unanswered questions. Charon asked why I did the things I did, nobody at the Temple did, nor did any of Red Company. I did things and they either didn't care or didn't notice. That was fine and all, but I didn't know how to talk about things when the opportunity arose. I felt bad about withholding, but a bitter voice in my heart told me it was the best thing for myself to do.

I found ten books, the last three were on the top most floor that was nothing more than two slabs of concrete, an overturned shelf that acted as a bridge, and the shelf the books were on. We weren't patient, so we simply fell from ledge to ledge trying not to fall three stories _or _slice ourselves open on exposed rebar. We did neither, which made getting these books off my hands that much faster. I did a little more poking around, just to see if I could find more supplies. I found a library computer instead, one still functioning.

I got curious, so I sat down and started typing things in. I looked up what DC was like 200 years ago, and lemme tell you; it was not much better than it is now. But instead of lobbing grenades and firing bullets, politicians were throwing insults and slanders every which way at each other. From what I read, there was a lot of unrest in the world. It's no surprise we got sick of it and blew each other up. I wondered how the Europeans were doing, if they still had all those monuments and ancient buildings left standing. Or, if they had descended into violence and chaos like the US had. There wasn't much on China, unsurprisingly.

Then I got the crazy notion to search our names. I looked up mine first, just to see what would happen.

"This is awesome!"

Charon grunted at me.

"I looked up my name in this database and apparently, Judith was a Biblical character who cut off the head of her enemy to defend her country. She beheaded this Assyrian guy named, oh shit, _Hol-o-fer-nes_, in his sleep." I smiled at the glowing screen. "It means 'He will be praised' or 'Woman of Judea'." I turned to Charon, "I'll look up your name next!" A few minutes later, his name cropped up. "Ooooh!" I exclaimed, "This is _too _perfect!"

"What is?"

"'Charon is the ferryman of Hades who carries the _souls of the dead _into the Grecian _underworld.'_ It says here that when Grecians died, they'd burn the body with a coin over the mouth. This was the amount it cost to cross the river _you _ferried people across. Your namesake influenced a culture! Our namesakes are so _bad ass!_"

He shrugged. "I guess."

I turned to him, surprised. "You guess? Our names our awesome! Yours fits _perfectly, _with the whole Underworld deal. I have a woman who isn't gonna roll over and let some Ass-yrians take over her people. She gets the bastard drunk, tricking him into thinking she wants his dick, then _cuts off his head and takes it back to her people. _This is maybe the best news I've received all week."

He shrugged and grunted. That was the end of the conversation. I returned to Scribe Yearling with the books in hand.

"I was beginning to think you passed out after puking so much." She jabbed.

"Did one of your cronies tell you about that?"

She chuckled, "I didn't need someone to tell me, you were so loud I think everyone heard it!"

"Yeah yeah, don't be concerned about me or anything." I put the stack in front of her. "These are yours, _my dear._"

She started flipping through the pages. "Thank you, here are your caps." She tossed a bag of caps onto the table. I snatched them up and did a quick count. "Use it to buy yourself something nice, like some breath freshener. You'll need to get that _putrid_ vomit smell off your breath."

I was too out of sorts to fight her anymore. I grumbled as Charon and I left the building.

Just around the corner of the library there was whole fuckin' squadron of Talon Company assholes. These guys were really tough. There was a fully functioning Securetron firing missiles at us. I lobbed a pulse grenade at it before finishing it off with 100 rounds of ammo. Charon handled the other guys, their heads exploding in every which way. I took a couple of bad hits that made me take cover and catch my breath. I peaked around the corner and saw a Talon slice open Charon's arm. I took out my magnum and blew open his neck. When the fighting ceased, we ran up a ramp and to the highest point of the compound.

Needless to say, this was a bad choice.

The last fuckin' merc came back from his rounds _or something _and had a _goddamn missile launcher with him. _Before either one of us could land a single round on him, he blasted Charon off the platform and maybe fifteen feet below. I took aim at the bastard's weapon, shot it out of his hands, and _flew _down the plank. I drew my knife and chased the guy down. I was able to stab the back of his neck, causing an instant kill. His body fell like a ton of bricks. I had no time to spare, I had to attend to Charon's screams.

"Charon!" I heard another blood curdling scream. I ran faster. "I'm coming!"

"My fuckin' leg!"

I jumped from the edge of the cracked sidewalk to him. He was on his side. "Can you move it?"

"Fuck no!"

"Can you rotate your ankle?"

"The fuck does my ankle have to do with-"

"Just fuckin' _do it!_" I scolded.

He had full motion. Alright, so his nerves were okay. One less thing I had to worry about. I put Heavy aside and lied him flat on the ground. I tried ripping his pant leg, "The _fuck _are you doing?" He demanded.

I snapped "Unless you want to take off your pants, I need to get to your leg unrestrained by clothes."

"These are the only pants I've got-"

"Then take 'em off." I pursed my lips. "_Trust me_, I won't enjoy your naked legs either."

He looked at me for a moment, then finally moved. He tossed his ragged pants to the side. I had to help him out of the left pant leg. He was like a real life anatomical model. His muscle definition was _fantastic_, he was a very healthy ghoul. Focus. I had to focus.

I gently pressed on his hip and asked him about the pain. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how intense is the pain?"

He opened his mouth like he was going to scream, but a wisp of air escaped. "S-Stop!" He squeaked.

"What about this?"

He grit his teeth and shook his head.

"And this?"

He screamed a little less.

"Your hip is dislocated and you probably cracked your femur." I started, trying to remain calm.

"'Probably'?!"

"Yes, _probably! _I don't have an x-ray machine so I can't be entirely sure. But based on your _whining _you've probably cracked it somewhere. I'm going to fix it, but you're going to have to help me."

"How?"

I looked him square in the eye, setting my voice urgent and stern. "By keeping your cool. I _don't_ have painkiller that works on you and it _sucks_. But if you want me to do this properly, I'm going to need to cooperate with me. You're either gonna have to not scream or bite on something to stop yourself from rupturing my eardrums."

"Whaddya have?"

"You have your pants." I snickered.

He gave me an 'are you fucking kidding me?' look.

I took the bandana off my arm and gave it to him. He soaked the cloth in whisky and stuffed it in his mouth. "Prepare yourself." I lifted his leg into the air, my arms wrapped securely around his knee and thigh. His lower leg was resting across my back. "I need you to take a deep breath in on 3," He nodded. I looked at his face. "1" His hands found ground to cling to. "2" I pulled his hip back in place. And with a solid 'pop', his socket was reattached. I could hear him take a sharp breath in as his eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. He let out a series of half screams half gasps for air. "3. Can you move your leg now?"

His head fell back with a 'thud' before he lifted his leg and ran it through a full range of glared at me before ripping the bandana from his mouth, "Yeah, I can."

I let out a sigh of relief. "You're a trooper, Charon." I injected his hip and the cracked area of his bone with stimpacks. "Relocating hips are usually done while under some sort of anesthetic."

"I can't imagine why. It still fuckin' hurts."

"Well no _shit. _You'll be sore for a day."

He tried standing up. He fell flat on his ass. I chuckled and helped him to his feet. He put his pants back on. There were a few moldy mattresses to lie on, so I set Charon and my shit down before I went to search the area and the bodies for useful things. I found food, a handful of caps, and enough ammo. I returned, went through my stuff, and prepared dinner. We ate in silence for a few minutes before Charon asked "How do you know all this medical stuff?"

"My mom taught me basic things." I finished my meal and pulled out a cigarette. I thought back. "I learned how to read by reading those D.C Journals of Medicines. In fact, I remember the first paragraph I could read without stumbling. It was a passage about how to stitch a 6 inch gash. That sort of stuff sticks in my head I guess."

"Have you ever had to do that before?"

"The gash?"

"No, the hip thing."

"Nope. I've done a fuck ton of popping arms back into sockets. Hips are just bigger sockets, so I figured it wasn't that different. Also, dislocated hips are more common in old folks. I've never worked in a clinic and nobody ran in our group to be considered 'old'."

"Who did you work with?"

"They don't exist anymore, so long as I know."

"I might have heard of them before."

"Red Company."

"You were a Red?"

"Where did you think the _red _bandana came from?"

"And Theo left for what reason?"

"Same reason I did. Change in management. The new guy was a pig headed bastard. Barley, his father, was a great guy. But Talon Company killed him and his son thought Red Company belonged to him. I'm not going to say we always did the right thing, but at least we weren't stealing children to be slaves."

"Wait, his name was _Barley? _The fuck kind of name is Barley?"

"The fuck kind of name is _Charon?_ Don't be a dick. Barley was a great leader. He listened to us and he acted for the company, not for himself. He kept us well fed and well armed."

"No shit. I've had a few run ins with Red Company."

"Who employed you?"

Charon hesitated before answering, "Talon Company."

"You were with Talon Company?" I could feel a mass of burning memories flood my mind's eye.

"Not by choice, as you can guess. But yeah, I was employed with Talon Company for a year."

"What happened?"

"The squad I was with was flattened by Red Company. I got away in time. I hated those bastards, so I took the opportunity and left."

"What happened next?"

"I can't operate by myself, so I worked for the next person who'd hire me."

"Who were they?"

"That is a different story."

"Ooooh, do I get to guess what you did?"

"No."

"I'm going to anyways. Okay, you had to- breed Brahmin?"

"No."

"Alright, uuum, you had to babysit children!"

"Shut up."

"I know, you were caught up in a ghoul based fantasy prostitution ring."

"Ya know, you're real fuckin' funny, Judith. You also need to shut your fuckin' mouth. I haven't done any of that kind of shit. Go the fuck to sleep."

I reveled in my victory in rustling Charon's feathers, and went to sleep.

When it was my turn to keep watch, I climbed up to the third level and listened to the radio and smoked a couple cigarettes to stay awake. I kept it down low to keep it from waking Charon or to attract any attention. It was really soothing for the first rotation or two, then it got really fuckin' old pretty fuckin' fast. How does he find these songs? Why can't he find more? In between each song, he'd talk about the kid from Vault 101, the Nerd. Apparently, after fixing the radio dish, he managed to get back the Declaration of Independence for some museum in Rivet City. I guess the kid really took what I had to say to heart. After the news was all reported and I got sick of hearing the same 20 songs over and over, I started messing with the tuning. After a significant amount of fuzz, I picked up a distress signal from a guy named Werner.

His message was pretty vague until the very end. His people needed freeing and he needed someone's help doing it. My mind forgot all about the disease riddled place I was about to be sent to, and jumped right to helping to free slaves. He sounded pretty desperate. I decided that's where we'd go next. It was really far away. This would take us at least a week to reach, that is if everything went well along the way. The most direct route would follow along the river. I would bring this up with Charon, to see if that would work best. It wasn't that long before the sun came up and Charon came up with it.

"Good morning. How's your leg?"

He hit his leg a couple times before responding. "Sore, but better."

"Good. Because I have a new mission for us. I picked up a radio signal to the north from this guy who needs help freeing his people-"

"_Always_ with the slaves."

"_Fuck you_ Charon."

"What is your question?"

"The signal is coming from way up north. Like, the edge of the DC area north. Is traveling along the river the best way to get there?"

He shrugged. "Using your legs is the best way to get anywhere."

"Quit being such a smartass. Is it the fastest and or most safe?"

"I don't know. No place is safe."

"You always say that."

"It's true."

"Whatever! Is it a good idea? Is there a better way?"

"There isn't. They are all equally dangerous."

"Fine, I guess that answers my question. Are you ready to move? Or do you need another day?"

"You're the doctor if I'm the guide."

I pursed my lips and raised an eyebrow. "Fine. In my 'professional' opinion, you'd do best to wait another day. Really, you should be better by the afternoon. But I'd rather have a full day of progress than a half day."

So we waited another day to pack up and head out. In the meantime, we patched up our weapons, ate, smoked, drank, and played cards together.

*Thanks for reading!*


	11. Chapter 11 - Old Scars

**Charon**

She was dragging me along on another suicide mission for more people she had absolutely no connection to and had no intention of earning anything from. I guess I can understand why. The time slogging through raiders and mirelurks took longer than expected. I thought it would be a few days, instead it was a week and two days before we made it to the beacon.

When we reached the source, a guy named Werner approached her. His face was caked with dirt and he was missing an eye. He explained the situation and gave Judith a set of instructions to follow. He looked at me funny.

"What the fuck is wrong with him?" He pointed right at me.

"There are no ghouls in the Pitt?"

"Nah, they ain't. Somethin' worse. So what's wrong with him?"

"He _can _hear you and his name is Charon. He suffers from ghoulism. When people are exposed to too much radiation, this happens."

"You all there, big guy?"

"More than you are." I shot him a glare he couldn't match.

Judith shrugged off the conversation and started moving. She followed the guys instructions and went West to find the captives. We approached the slavers and dispatched them with a barrage of frag grenades. They never knew what hit them. Judith released the slaves and her good side was showing again. It was weird. She never asked for a reward_. _She borrowed a slave outfit off of a dead body and wore that.

Her face turned bright red.

There was _barely _any clothing on her beat up body. It was a small strip of cloth around her breasts and a short skirt that showed the crease in her ass when she walked. There was a collar around her neck that attached to her waist. It showed off her figure, among other things. She flipped me off.

"Quit gawking, ya skinless perv!"

I shrugged and cracked a small grin. "I'm skinless but I ain't eyeless."

I chuckled as she awkwardly took the lead. I couldn't help but look at that barely covered ass again. If anything, just to laugh at her awkward state. Her sleeping clothes, which is a tattered tang top and grey shorts, are more modest than this outfit. She turned her head and shouted "You are _awful!_"

I reveled in seeing her so flustered. It was quite satisfying really. She got to the tunnel and the two started talking again. They talked about how they were going to get in. I didn't trust this guy as far as I could throw him. I knew Judy was blind, all she thought about was freeing slaves now. She wasn't thinking about how he could be manipulating her into something life threatening. But really, there isn't much I could do to talk her out of it at this point. I snapped back to the conversation when the Werner guy gestured towards me and said _I couldn't come along._

"Your friend will have to stay here. There's only room for two on the cart and we only have supplies for two."

Before Judith could say anything, I grasped her around the arm and yanked her off to the side. "Judith, I don't trust this guy."

She pulled her arm out of my grasp. "Yeah? Well why not?"

I shook my head. "This is too convenient. He's asking you to go to a place you've never been before that's infected with some terminal, disfiguring disease, and he wants a _complete stranger _to fix it."

"Well this place isn't much better when it comes to _disfiguring diseases," _she jabbed, "You should know."

I glared at her and growled. "Shut up, Judith. You don't know what you're doing."

"I know _exactly_ what I'm doing. What if there was a cure for ghoulism, huh? And you were the only one who could get it. It was a proven fact that the cure could work. Would you walk away?"

She had me beat. I grumbled in protest, but I couldn't argue with her. She didn't smile, but we locked eyes for a good ten seconds. She looked at me with a look that said 'Don't worry about me. I'll be okay.' I looked at her thinking she was stupid, but if she felt the need to free some more slaves, I could not stop her. I finally reached out and rubbed her shaved head then rested my hand on her shoulder. "Get going. Your _friend _is waiting for you."

"If I'm not back in a week, you know the drill."

We had discussed this. I was to tear apart my contract. I really don't see how it matters anymore. Judith is more than the contract.

* * *

**Judith**

The Pitt was a nightmare. Never could I imagine such a sick, dark place. Werner was right. There's sickness in the water and the air. The slave bosses are heartless maniacs and the slaves have no will to live. They've accepted their fate and they've given up. The Mill was scorching and reeked of sweat and metal. To see these people toil and sweat and burn up, it sparked only an intense flame in my heart- in my whole being, to free them of Ashur.

My first objective was to collect steel ingots and get a feel for my new surroundings. There was a surly raider with a sunken, dirty face that looked like cracked ground. He laughed at me and fully expected me to perish in The Yard. He shoved me out the door, laughing, locking the door behind me. As I entered the _Hell _that is The Yard, I happened upon a poor soul, well, a dead body. An assault rifle, some rounds, and ingots were scattered about his corpse. I started walking, when I heard a slave call out to a trog, calling him his brother. I ran around the gate and I tried to save the slave. But, but his brother had killed him in senseless, animalistic violence. That was my first experience with a trog.

It made a sickening noise that was no longer a human but truly an animal. It's red, pasty skin was cracked and bleeding. The face was no longer distinguishable, the blood shot eyes squinted in the little light provided, it's teeth were long and the lips curled into a constant snarl. Massive claws protruded from it's grimy hands. The stench coming from this animal nearly made me vomit. Before I could react, it charged me. I shot it down with a few well placed bullets to it's skull.

I spent half the day looking for ingots as trogs clawed and scratched and bit my limbs. The air choked my throat and left an unyielding taste of fire and metal in my mouth. The harsh air stung my eyes to tears. My skin seethed at every sound of trog yowling over a fresh kill. The red sky punctuated by towering black buildings sent my heart _yearning _for the Capitol Wasteland. Billowing smoke choked the air.

Maybe Charon was right. But I needed to free these people. I had to press on.

* * *

**Charon**

The trek to Ten Penny tower was a fuckin' brutal one. It felt weird not tailing Judith, not seeing her trip over everything and anything, remarking about something, or generally being a salty bitch. I really missed it, actually. She always had something to say, sometimes plain and simple, sometimes way over my head. She thought a lot. She thought a lot about life and people. I wouldn't always listen, but I loved the sound of her voice. It was a pleasant voice I guess, it was dark but clear. But she wouldn't be gone for long. The Wasteland is depressing enough, but with only yourself and your thoughts it's fucking awful to live at all. I met up with Crazy Wolfgang at Paradise Falls and followed him down to Ten Penny Tower.

We crossed paths with many Yao Guai and even a sprinkling of Super Mutants. The tower was clearly in sight. But before we reached the tower, Wolfgang thanked me for my services. He slipped me a handful of Stealth Boys; our agreed payment. It was dark by the time I reached the pearly gates. Wolfgang asked for entrance to stay the night. They begrudgingly let him through, while I sneaked into the building.

The place hadn't changed a fuckin' bit.

It had been near 50 years since I last 'worked' here. Back when I had skin and hair, when it didn't hurt to wake up in the morning, when my spine wasn't exposed for all to see. Back when people made fun of my red hair, not the lack of it. It had been 50 years, but things hadn't changed much. The security was much tighter, but the insides and the people weren't much different. Well, there were certainly fewer ghouls. There used to be at least three ghoul residence here before, well, before I fucked it up for them.

* * *

**Judith**

I fucking wish I could have died.

I wish I had listened to Charon.

Werner wasn't to be trusted at all.

My firearm was pointed directly at the bastards head. "You never told me the cure was a child."

He put a hand on his gun, but the other in the air. "I didn't think it would be a problem. A hardened merc like you wouldn't think twice about it."

I gripped the handle. The sweat from my palm rubbed my skin raw against the grip of the gun. "Stealing _children _from their parents is fucked up to anyone with half a goddamn conscience. You're enslaving her just as they enslaved you." I took a deep breath in. "I need you to assure me that _not a goddamn hair on her head _will be put out of place to get this cure."

"I can't assure _anything,_ tuts. If we have to cut this kid open to get this cure-"

My heart raged. "Then I'm killing every last one of you!" I roared. "I'll kill you, and him-" I pointed to the slave in the corner. "And Medea, and anyone you can think of. I'll kill _all _of them and I'll take Marie with me. Don't think I can? You saw the slave bosses. I filled them with so much lead they started bleeding tar." My voice darkened. "You picked the right person to do this job. You were right for killing. You were right for getting a job done. But you were _wrong _if you thought I'd just hand a baby over to a bunch of filthy slaves."

"You sick bitch. You wouldn't-"

I swung my arm to the right and shot the slave right between his eyes, then turned the gun back to Werner. I pressed Marie closer to my heart. "I believed you Werner. I helped you. I _saved _you. At this point, I don't care if you all survive or curl up and die in this filthy fuckin' hole. I only care if this child remains safe. And if you can't assure that, I'm taking her with me and I'll kill you right where you _stand._"

Werner took his hand off his gun and threw his arms into the air. He glared at me with his one eye for a long time before finally speaking. "No harm will come to Marie."

There was a tense moment where I considered shooting him anyway, just for lying to me. He wouldn't dare fire back. He could hit her. She cooed, and it halted the images of splattering his brains all over the wall. I glanced at her, then back at the son of a bitch. I lowed my gun but kept it in hand as I walked up the ramp, placing her into her crib. I sealed it shut. "Now, there was something else you wanted me to do."

* * *

**Charon**

Ten Penny was standing on the balcony, sniping various creatures that wandered his way. The Stealth Boy wore off, and he noticed my presence. He didn't look surprised.

"Oh, it's you again. Come to kill of the rest of my family you heartless monster?"

"I came to apologize."

He scoffed. "You? Apologize? I didn't know _worms_ had the capacity."

"I'm sorry for killing your wife."

"_**Sorry **__isn't good enough_. I actually trusted you with out lives, and _that's _how you repaid me? By trying to save a _worthless _ghoul slave? Really? One of the _lowest life forms on earth? _I didn't expect that from you. Never in a hundred years. You were supposed to do _my _every bidding, not your own. You were weak and defective from the start. I paid good money to purchase your contract. It was the _worst _investment in my life."

"I never meant for things-"

"Never meant for what?!" He bellowed. "Never meant to murder _innocent civilians _in cold blood?! Never meant to destroy my beloved wife?! I doubt that. I sincerely do not believe you never meant for _any _of that to happen. You were just a murderous demon from the start. I know it." He calmed down, only to stand up and look me in the face. "You know, I've been sitting here for 50 years, waiting for you to enter my scope. But you never have, until tonight. I'm going to kill you for everything you've done to me." He pulled out a much more practical .44 magnum. He was a terrible close range shot, his hands were shaking violently with rage.

I was a much better shot.

I flipped on the extra Stealth Boy and snuck out of the Tower. I didn't feel good about what I did, but another part did. I finally got that off of my mind. My business was settled. I traveled all the way north again just to meet up with her. I got there on the tenth day. It didn't open until the afternoon of the eleventh.

"Judith." I said, seeing her walk through the door. Something was wrong. She was hunched over, standing limp in the doorway. I walked up to her.

Her eyes were dark and sunken in, deep purple bags hung under them. The whites of her eyes were blood shot. Dirt caked every inch of skin. There were deep scratch marks on her face, arms, scalp and chest. Plenty of bite marks as well. She looked like she hadn't eaten the whole time. The relatively healthy body I knew a week before had become a shell. She looked at me with blank, half open eyes and shook her head 'no' before she melted. Tears ran down her face in seconds flat. Her lip quivered as she croaked "I should have listened to you." She walked right into my chest and started bawling. She wrapped her arms around me. I was not sure how to handle the situation.

"What happened, Judith?"

She shook her head. I made her sit on the ground, her legs were wobbly as she was growing weak from crying. There was no end. There was seemingly no end to her tears. She hugged her knees. Through the gaping holes in her clothes, I saw ever vertebrae beneath her skin. As she breathed, I could see her ribs expand and contract beneath her skin. I pulled out some food for her, but she refused. I gave her some water and made her drink it. She chugged the whole bottle. She calmed down enough to speak.

She shook her head "I should h-have listened to you, Charon." She looked at me with lifeless, puffy red eyes. Those blue eyes I had known to be bright and wild had been tamed by something dark.

"What the hell happened?" I asked. I wanted so bad to reach out and hug her, or _something, _goddamn _anything. _But I was so afraid. I was terrified to touch her or console her. I didn't know if physical contact would have made it worse. It was so frustrating.

"Werner _lied_. I shouldn't have trusted him. I should have listened to you."

"What did he lie about?"

She rested the heels of her palms on her forehead. "He never mentioned the cure was a _child_."

"Shit." A surge of rage ripped through me. I never trusted this guy. I should have made that more clear. "Did you kill him?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't. The baby, Marie, she- she looked just like her." And she broke down again. She curled up in a ball and leaned up against me. I gingerly wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She leaned up against me and put her head on my shoulder. I looked out of the tunnel. The sky started churning. It would rain soon. I looked down at Judith. She had calmed down, mostly. A few minutes later, it finally started pouring. She lifted her head and watched the rain fall. She stood up and stumbled outside. She sat in the rain. I didn't bother her. I watched her from a distance. This probably had to do with the 'something' she never told me back in Arlington. _This_ is the pain she's feeling.

Raw pain. Pain that kept you from breathing. Pain that lingers in your head and in your body. Pain she had been fighting with smiles and Med-X. A war had been raging in her and she just lost a major battle.


	12. Chapter 12 - Names

**Judith**

I sat in the rain until it stopped, which was maybe half an hour. I felt 18 again. It was a sick and hallow feeling. An exhausted and horrid feeling that sat deep within me. I wasn't really paying attention. I needed to see her, but I didn't at the same time. I couldn't. She didn't know who I was. She probably hated me. Hated me for abandoning her in the caves before she even knew what sunlight was. I just had to keep moving. I had to keep moving and stay away from the west. I could go any other direction, just not west. My eyes dried and my resolve swelled.

"Let's go."

"You should eat first."

"I'm not hungry."

Charon stared at me looking vaguely concerned. He stood up and walked over to me. He offered me a hand up, I took it and we started running east. It was getting dark before we finally ran up this very steep hill. I figured I'd be able to get a better look at the surroundings from up there, see if there were any buildings or caves we could take shelter in for the night. What we found was a Super Mutant encampment. We blew them away with grenades and our own firepower. There were a lot of them, but we cut them down. We cleared the shacks they set up before setting up for the night.

"There is a captive out there."

"There is?"

Charon gave me another half shocked, half annoyed look. "He was pleading for his life and you completely ignored him."

"Oh, okay. Go and set him free."

He left the room as I got started on dinner.

"_H-Hey, I'm in here too!"_

"God fucking dammit, another one?" I got up and untied him. There was a dead body lying next to him.

"Thank you so much. I don't have much to offer, but I was able to steal this."

"I don't want it. Just take this poor sap and chuck him off a cliff or something. I don't make a habit of sleeping with dead bodies near me."

"O-Oh, um, okay." He hoisted the body over his shoulder and walked out of the room. Charon returned as the guy was leaving and shot me a confused look. We ate dinner in silence. We slept. Well, I think Charon slept. I couldn't sleep. I'd drift off but then snap back the moment I started to really relax. I repeated this many times during the night. We ate a quick breakfast before heading out.

We were passing by a canyon when I spotted a pretty well worn path. We had nothing better to do, so we followed it. It lead us deeper and deeper through the canyon walls, when I stopped dead in my tracks. Leaves, green leaves from bushes were growing out of the walls of the canyon. My heart dropped. Green leaves! This is stuff I only ever read about! They were more beautiful than I could have imagined! They were like little pebbles in my hand, smooth but slightly veiny. They were endearing. We walked further to see if there were more.

Some crazy old guy in what appeared to be a burlap sack stopped us. He started jabbering about meeting someone, but we followed through a wooden gate. A gate made of freshly fallen branches.

What I stepped into I will _never _forget.

Trees. There were _trees. _There were _millions _of green leaves on these trees. I nearly cried from happiness. _Surely _this was a dream, or a trick, or maybe I had died in the Pitt and this was heaven. I don't know. All I know is that the air smelled fresh and there were birds singing and I really truly felt safe. There were still little ponds of irradiated water, but I didn't mind it one bit. Their beds were made of soft straw. I just wanted to roll around in the natural health of this place. Their leader, Father Birch, got my attention again on a fuckin' throne of branches.

"You have no idea how overjoyed I am to see you! Normally Outsiders are forbidden inside Oasis, but He has made an exception."

"There is so much life brimming and thriving here."

"That's His power you feel, Outsider. With His outstretched limbs He shelters us and keeps us safe."

"Who is 'He' you keep talking about?"

"He is the One Who Grows, He is the One Who Gives and He is the One Who Guides. No one speaks His name out of reverence for his majesty. Thanks to Him, the Treeminders have a home."

"What do you guys do here anyways?"

"We care for this place and keep it safe from those who would seek to exploit it. He gives to us, so we give back to Him. It's an arrangement that's worked well for almost two decades. We shun technology and embrace nature. That's the life of a Treeminder."

"You sure do use a lot of guns for nature lovers."

"Listen my friend, I will forgive your insolent tone because He has asked to see you. But make no mistake. If you wish to cause trouble here, we have the means to defend ourselves."

"Which brings us to why I'm here, I suppose."

"Yes. Indeed it does. Sorry I don't speak to Outsiders very often and I tend to get lost in conversation. As you approached Oasis, He said you were coming and I was sent out to meet you personally with a request. He wishes to meet with you. You'd be the first Outsider to do so in a very long time."

"When can I meet Him?"

"To meet Him, you must undergo the Ceremony of Purification. Once that's complete, you'll be able to speak with Him. Whenever you're ready, we may begin."

"What about my friend here?" I threw my thumb over my shoulder at Charon.

"He may enter too. He must also take part in the ceremony."

"What's part of the ceremony?"

"It's simple really. You drink the sap from the basin here in the Pavilion. The Sap with purify your mind and body of anything harmful that could possibly hurt Him. I assure you, nothing harmful will happen to you."

I took a moment to talk it over with Charon. "Are you down for this?"

"Can't say I'm excited."

"You don't have to. You can hang back here."

"Where you go, I go." He paused and searched my face a moment longer. "But you sure do get us into some fucked up places, Judy."

"Judy?"

"Shit, I'm sorry. Judith."

"Call me whatever you fuckin' want."

His brow furrowed. The discussion was done. I returned to Father Birch. "We're ready."

"We will now recite the blessing, to ward off any harm the outsider may be carrying before she proceeds to the grove."

The freaks stood in a semi-circle around this fountain-stump of sorts. There was a dark, oozing sap coming from the center. It smelt sweet but also a little like tar. Charon stood beside me, just as suspicious of the sap as I was. I looked up at him. He nodded.

I took a deep breath in and drank the sap and my vision instantly blurred. My ears started ringing as the sap started burning my insides. It smelled sweet but it just tasted like fuckin' tar. Charon's face twisted in disgust, but it wasn't before long the wackos started talking.

"I bid you depart, agents of destruction, through the power of His divine will!"

"Leave our homes and bodies immediately, live no longer in them, but pass over into places where you can harm no one."

"In the name of his Frondescense, I call his wrath upon you, so that wherever you may go, you bear it with you!"

"-And diminishing from day to day, you may disappear. Except may you serve the health and good purposes of mankind. May no trance of you be found."

"All this, may he be so good to grant us, who is to come to judge the living and the dead, and the world by his redue. Amen."

The next thing I know a goddamn tree with half a face is talking to me about Herbert and Bob and Harold and the other Treeminders. I had no clue what was going on. I was so drugged out of my mind that I questioned if this was real. The trees were started to look fabricated and the limited facial movements of the talking tree were starting to look _real _robotic.

He finally got the point and asked me to kill him.

"No fuckin' way, man."

"Of all the-! I thought you were tough, like one of those blood thirsty, only work for money, kinda mercenaries." He spoke _painstakingly_ slow.

"Convince me why I should do that. You're amazing."

"You're turnin' into one of those, _idiots,_ out there! I've been stuck here for two decades with only Bob and those wackos out there."

"Most people don't get too happy with you when you kill their god."

"Oh no, don't you worry about them. While you're gone I'll have a little chat with Birch and the others. I'll make them understand."

"Yeah, that's done you a lot of good in the past."

"Please, just do it."

"How would I go about doing that in the least firey way possible?"

"Well, ya see, as Bob here has been growin', he's been movin' my insides around. I think he's carried 'em around in his root system. I want you to go underground and destroy my heart."

"I'll think about it Bob Herbert, Herbert Bob?"

"No no… Herbert is the tree. Bob is his real name. I call him Herbert 'cause I think it's funny. But I'm still in here too, what's left of me. The name's Harold."

I left and walked through the gates. Birch and Laurel were having an argument. It sounded like Harold had talked to these guys before about wanting to die. After the argument was finished, they both shoved jars of liquid into my hands and told me to do conflicting things. Both with perfectly valid reasons. Though, to me, Birch just wanted the tree to live and keep Oasis all to himself. But Laurel wasn't really thinking this all the way through yet either. Spreading nature certainly would draw a lot of unwanted attention from the wasteland.

I found Cypress and got the key into the caves. I jabbed myself with a shot of Med-X before heading down.

It was one of the worst decisions I ever made.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Brink

**Charon**

Judy wasn't the same after we entered the caves. She could barely stand and she would shoot at things that weren't there. I took the weight of the mirelurk attacks, though she was pretty good at focusing her fire at their left claws. Not much else. We reached a deep pool of water, and just below the surface, I could see a tunnel that lead further into the caves.

I took Judith by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. She wasn't stable, her head never stopped moving and if it did, her eyes were darting around. "Judith, I need you to focus."

"I c-can't. I can't see anything. Charon I'm scared."

I sighed. This was awful. This required patience that I had none of. "You stay put and I'll scout ahead, okay?"

I sat her down away from the edge and jumped into the frigid water. A few moments later I heard a splash behind me. _Damn it all! _I swam back up and grabbed her by arm and dragged her through the tunnel. It wasn't that long, but if she hadn't been dead weight I wouldn't have been wheezing and gasping for air when we hit the surface. I threw ourselves onto a rocky outcropping before taking out two more mirelurks. She lied there, staring at the ceiling.

"Radiation," she mumbled. I got her legs out of the water. "Radiation fell on me from the ceiling. I was trapped. I had to kill them. Blood sport. This is blood sport."

"The _fuck_ are you rambling about?"

She didn't say anything, but got to her feet and suddenly switched into business mode. She carried on like the drugs had worn off and started mowing down Hunters and Kings left and right. We got to his heart in no time and she tossed me Laurel's liniment. There were three kings below us and she took them out in no time. The moment the last shell echoed on the stone floor, she fell over the ledge and face first into the water. I slid down the embankment and pulled her out. "Get a fuckin' grip, Judith."

"Grip, the grip of the gun is wearing against my sweaty palm. The trogs ripped my glove off."

I smacked her across the face. She screamed and squirmed out of my grip, crawling frantically away from me through the knee high water, yelling for me to get back. _Shit. _"Judy, I'm-"

"Don't hit me!" She pleaded, holding her head. She was curled up in a ball sitting up against a small plot of dry land. A blackened skeleton lay at her feet. "_Please _don't hit me again!"

"Okay, I won't." I felt _really _bad for doing that. I carefully approached her and offered her a hand up. She was shaking. Fear soaked her eyes. She took my hand anyway and carefully got to her feet. "The only way out of here is to swim underneath the water. Can you do that?"

She bit her lip and nodded, holding herself, rubbing her arms. I took the lead as we swam out and through a door. Lo and behold, we were right where that tree was. Judith took a few deep breaths before talking to Harold again. A little girl was there too. He thanked her for not killing him and Judith composed a pretty good response. Well, for the state she was in. The tree got concerned and told her to lie down.

A _tree, _told Judith, to _lie down, _because she didn't look so good.

She shook her head and ran out the gate. I was just taking after her when a little hand stopped me.

"Give this to her. This is a super special charm that will make her better."

I took a little bear charm and ran after Judith. Bloomseer Poplar was already lying her down to sleep. It was evening, so I didn't protest. Judith was shaking violently, sweat beading on her brow. Poplar gave her a liquid to drink and Judith was out in minute. I slipped the charm into her pack. The old woman looked at me with a sheepish grin.

"Sometimes people have adverse reactions to the sap. She should be better by the time she wakes up."

She wasn't.

We carried on for almost three weeks like that. Judith kept repeating that she didn't like being so far North, that there were more Deathclaws in the North than there were down in DC. Then it became her mother always told her to never go further than the collapsed train rails that ran east west through DC. Then it was because the tunnel was going to suck her back into the Pitt. It was so cold here in DC and it was so hellishly hot in the Pitt that the difference in pressure was going to suck her back towards the heat. She couldn't go west either. Sad things, more sad than the Pitt, lied in the west. South or east, that was it. She was heading back towards DC regardless.

We found ourselves on an outcropping overlooking Paradise Falls. Judith stood there, staring at it. The wind was strong and was whipping her hair around. She hadn't shaved it in weeks. It was blonde. But she just stood there for a long time, just staring. "When I gained their trust, the slave masters treated me like one of their own. They sold me ammo and repair parts. I ate with them. I drank with them. They supported me like the slaves did. I almost forgot about my mission." She shook her head and turned around. "Let's keep moving."

She never went more than four hours without that Med-X shit after the Paradise Falls melt down. I don't know why. It made her _worse._ The moment it hit her system she became loopy and delirious. There were three days where we just ran around in a circle not making any progress. She eventually figured out the problem before heading straight east. We hit another raider shack just north of where the old Temple was. Judith stood over a dead woman's body.

She turned to me and grabbed my arms, panicked. "I killed her, Charon!"

"You've killed a lot of people."

"But I killed her! I killed her in cold blood! I killed her in front of her own child! How could I do that?! How could I do that to a little innocent baby?!"

I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?"

She shook her head and let go of me, running, yelling in fear. I let her run. I knew where she was headed. She kept running and running until she got the Temple. I found her squatting on the ground floor. "Here, here! This is safety! I came here on my hands and knees, begging for shelter. Here!" Several gunshots came from upstairs. She shrieked and ran up the crumbling steps. She mowed down a couple of hunters after they had just made a kill. "Pale meat, they had human meat in their pockets. They deserved to die. But who really deserves to die? We're all fighting out here. We're all just trying to live!" She piled the bodies in the corner, then quite suddenly threw them out the window. "No, I don't want these here. They don't belong here. Death shouldn't stain this place. At least not here."

I became genuinely concerned for her mental health.

Towards the end of her disillusioned marathon, we had been moving for five days straight and she maybe had a total of eight hours of rest. She told me she couldn't sleep. All she wanted to do was smoke cigarettes. She said the nicotine would counteract the effect the sap and Med-X reaction she was having. I didn't buy it. She wandered all the way down by the Citadel when we were hit by a pack of Supermutants. The Brotherhood helped us take them out but not before Judith was knocked to the ground. I expected her to get up, but she didn't.

I ran over to her and flipped her onto her back. Her eyes were rolling into the back of her head and her skin was completely devoid of color. The chemical cocktail she had been injecting into herself had weathered away at her normally large muscles. She hadn't been eating much, so she was much thinner too. Bones were visible beneath her stretched skin. I tried waking her, she only gurgled in response.

A Brotherhood paladin suggested I run her over to Rivet City for medical attention. He didn't have to tell me that because by the time he finished his sentence, I had hoisted Judith to her feet and threw her arm around my shoulders. I ran south along the river until Rivet City came back into my sight. There was no metro I could take that would get me there fast enough, so I did the next best thing.

I dragged her heavy ass through the river.

"Judy, stay with me." Blood was trickling down her arms and splashing onto the dry dirt, then into the water. I feared it'd attract more Mirelurks, and then I'd be royally fucked. I had to move fast. The irradiated water kept me strong, allowing my muscles to work overtime. The going was fine until the water started to creep up to my chest. _Fuck fuck fuck!_ I had to carry Judith above my head, which was no easy feat. _Last a little longer Judith. If I can get across this river you sure as hell will._

The water level rose higher and higher, and I'd need to swim soon. So I did. I did with difficulty. By difficulty, I mean it was nearly fucking impossible. I just had to keep her head above the water. I'd come up and gasp for air every couple of yards. I kept swimming. I wanted to stop and let her loose _a little bit_, a little bit wouldn't send her under. But I couldn't. I kept struggling. We were approaching the rocky shore and I made one final push. I threw myself up against the shore, panting, completely out of breath.

I wasted no time and threw her onto my back and balanced her weight against mine. The Super Mutants nearby started shooting at me. I didn't have time to fight them. I avoided their fire the best I could. Judy got nicked a few times, and fortunately, that jolted her to consciousness, if not for a moment. We went up the ramp, then up the stairs, and finally to the intercom. He told me to stay put while the bridge extended. Before it stopped, I ran across. The bastard stopped me before we made it to the other side.

I yelled that we needed a doctor.

The guard didn't look amused, but he let us through. "The clinic is just through those doors." He pointed to the door on the left.

I got through the doors and followed the signs to the Clinic. Even though we had made it, my head was still screaming at me to help Judith. I ran through the door and placed her on a cot. She was making little groaning noises and her head was bobbing side to side. Her breaths were shallow. Little trickles of blood were coming out either side of her mouth.

"Wait, what's wrong? What's wrong?"

"She's dying." The words hit harder than I thought they would. Everything around me moved faster. The doctor started removing her clothes to give a thorough examination. I had to look away this time. I usually take comfort in her health when she undresses for the night, but I couldn't this time. I had to sit down. I rested my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands. I had to calm down. Calm down. It was hard to do when the room was spinning.

"She's emaciated, she's been shot through the lungs, she's dehydrated, and a couple bones are broken. Her radiation levels are through the _roof_, I'm surprised she doesn't look like _you_ yet." He pointed a fat finger at me, then attended to Judith again. It took every fiber of my being _not_ to punch his lights out, but I couldn't. I clenched my fists and straightened my jaw. "I need you to leave."

"No."

"You'll stunt her recovery!"

"I cannot leave her."

"No, literally, you need to leave. I'm beginning surgery and you'll contaminate the area. There's a hotel upstairs where you can rent a room. I'll let you come back tomorrow morning, but I must work immediately!"

I glared at him, still leaning forward on my knees. I finally stood up, still seething. I turned around and left without saying one more word. I had no money, Judith had all the money. I did, however, have enough stuff to sell to rent a room. I trudged down the narrow halls to the Market Place, sold all the extra stuff she would have sold earlier, and bought a room. It was in mint condition, complete with a bed with sheets and pillows. There was a desk and a table, as well as a wardrobe and footlocker. I shut the door, stripped down and collapsed onto the bed.

She was dying. She was killing herself and I stood by and watched. Things had to change.

I couldn't sleep that night.

I got out of bed the next morning and rushed into the clinic. Judith was sleeping on her side, curled up in a ball. Just like always.

The doctor was tending to her and heard me come in. He turned around in his chair. "It's you. Whoever this is, she is very lucky to of had you bring her in. She wouldn't have lasted much longer."

I crossed my arms, but I still felt soft for Judith. There were incisions from where the doctor had to go in and fix things himself. Her face was still sunken in, which bothered me. I sighed, placing a hand on her thigh. She responded to the touch, but only in her sleep. She didn't wake up.

The doctor looked at me suspiciously, then back at her, and shook his head. I shoved my hand into my armpit. "When will she be awake?"

"Tough to say. It takes people a while to bounce back from the brink of death."

I didn't say anymore, just sort of kept staring at Judith in her stable condition. I asked if I could move her to the hotel room I had rented. He said it would be okay. I paid the man his caps and threw her stuff over my shoulder. I scooped up my friend and carried her to the room.

She was here, alive, and she was going to get better. I was going to make sure of it.

* * *

***Thanks for reading!***


	14. Chapter 14 - Pulled Back

**Judith**

I woke up on a clean bed with sheets and pillows that first off, weren't crusty with dried blood and dirt- which was unusual. I was also half naked, but that wouldn't be the first time that has happened. Charon was sitting in a chair in the corner, seemingly fallen asleep leaning up against the heel of his palm. I looked around. There were no windows. Only metal floor to ceiling. The creaking and the stagnant water smell gave it away that this was Rivet City. How the hell did we end up here?

I ached all over and all I wanted was a hit of Med-X. I tried getting up, but ended up just falling back onto the bed. My legs were weak. I had lost a lot of weight. That wasn't good. The good part was I wasn't crazy anymore. The sap had been flushed out of my system finally. I checked the rest of my limbs for movement and damage. Scars from a few trog bites and scratched still lingered, and a few more I don't remember getting at all were there too. The movement woke Charon up. He simply opened his eyes and looked at me, not moving his head from his hand.

"You're up."

"Appears that way. We in Rivet City?"

"Yes." He stretched in his chair and scratched his chest. His armor was off. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and dark green cargo pants tucked into boots.

"How long have we been here?"

"Three days."

"Shit, really?"

He nodded.

"I feel like shit, could you get me a-"

"No."

"I didn't finish."

"You don't need to. I sold it all."

My heart dropped a little. "What?"

"To pay for the room and your life, I sold all your Med-X."

"Buy it back."

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's ruining you."

"What do you care?"

"I care more than you think."

My heart did a little flip. "What?"

"I care more than you think."

"Why didn't you say anything before then?"

"I didn't know just how long you've been using it."

So he was just talking about the addiction. "How would you know?"

"You started taking it like a ghoul. Smoothskins don't live for too much longer after that."

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked down. "But you don't understand, I need it."

"No, you don't."

"Fuck off! Go buy more! I command you!"

"I don't fuckin' care. I ain't doin' that. I am no errand boy."

"I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin, I'm shaking! My body needs it! _Please _Charon! Just one more hit."

"You're stronger than this."

"I'm not! I'm really not. Please. Just one more hit. Just one more hit."

"No."

"Why can't we have a doc just shoot me with something? Then I won't be addicted anymore!"

"No." Charon stood up, "I'm going to buy you fresh food and water." He left and slammed the door behind him.

I was left alone, bitterly alone. Not only was my body recovering from the shock of broken bones, severe lacerations, and a flood of chemicals battling each other inside my muscles and bloodstream, but I was now in withdrawal. Charon was right. The rational, medical part of me knew I couldn't keep this habit up much longer. I was using it so aggressively that I wouldn't live long if I kept up that pace. My body had gotten used to it. I needed more and more every single time. I knew I had a problem. And Charon reminded me I had to fix it. It was a mental and physical addiction. I couldn't really get clean if just my body was clean. I had to overcome it mentally as well.

But then came the hard part.

I lied there with the room spinning, my stomach cramping shut, my heart racing and skipping beats. I felt like vomiting a few times, but there was nothing in my system to expel. A fever sent violent chills and down my body. I huddled under the covers, but it still wasn't enough. I couldn't tell how long I had been suffering here. There were no windows. No indication if Charon had been gone for a minute or an hour. It all felt the same. I felt awful. It felt like my guts were being ripped out of my body. My body wanted to sleep so it could recover, but it was hurting so bad it couldn't. I looked down and a baby was in my arms. At first I screamed and put it down in my lap. But when I tried picking it back up it was just a lump of sheets.

I looked up and saw Theo leaning up against the wall, holding his blown off leg, asking me to reattach it. "'If Judith can't fix it, then you're already dead', that's what Barely always said. You can fix this."

"Barely is dead! _You're_ dead!"

"Yeah, speaking of which, how could you let him die? It was just a bullet and a tough fall. A couple stimpacks and recovery time would have fixed everything."

"He fell thirty feet off a bridge and onto rocks! His insides were pulp by the time we got to him!" I rolled around on the bed, clutching my stomach. I curled into a ball with my knees resting below me and with my forehead against the mattress. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I couldn't be there when you died, I'm sorry you died alone!"

When I looked up at him, Theo was gone.

Charon came in with food and water. I had essentially soaked the sheets all the way through with sweat. He picked me up and set me on the table. He took the sheets off, left the room, and returned.

I assumed he got new sheets, my eyes were so watery I could only make out general shapes and colors. He picked me up again and put me back on the bed. It was dry and warm. I curled up in the sheets again. He sat me up against the headboard.

He asked if I could drink on my own. I tried. I just got water all over myself. My hands were shaking too badly. Charon sighed and poured water into my mouth. I was more thirsty than I had realized. I maybe chugged half the bottle before having to take a break. I caught my breath and I finished the bottle. I felt a little better afterward. I lied down to tried to sleep, but the pains and the nausea and the fever kept me awake. Charon calmly either sat in the corner or went outside. Presumably to get away from the screams and groans of agony.

I tried focusing on something else. I focused on the beauty of Oasis. I remembered the trees and the green and the air and the life. I remembered the way the dirt wasn't so hard and cracked. I remembered the feeling of renewed life. When I was better, I was really going to go to Oasis and really appreciate it. I was going to soak up every bit of life and nature one I was better. Even the sun felt different coming through the leaves of the trees. That imagery helped for a while, but I couldn't think about Oasis without thinking about the caves. I remembered the delirium I was sent into when the Med-X and the sap reacted together. I cringed and curled up tighter into a ball.

My eyes snapped open and I had wondered if I had dreamed the whole thing. Was I asleep? Was this a nightmare? I could have sworn there was a child in my arms before. How could I tell if I was sleeping or if I was awake? The lines blurred between consciousness and sleep. I called out for Charon. He was sitting in the corner. I called out for him again. He got up and left. I swore at him. He walked back in and I swore at him again, demanding why he ignored me. He told me when he left, I was asleep.

I asked for the time. He said it was five. I asked him how long I had been this way. He said almost two days. I suddenly realized that I really needed to piss. I also remembered that I had no food in my system still and that I was starving. I asked for food and I was given stew and a fresh apple. Charon sliced off pieces of apple with a clean knife and handed them to me. I only heard rumors that Rivet City was able to grow fresh food. But I guess it was true. I had to get used to fresh food texture, but I liked it. After eating, I walked to the bathroom and promptly emptied myself.

I shuffled back into the room and collapsed onto the bed. I still felt frozen to the bone and generally very miserable, but I was able to drift off to definitive sleep.

What Charon told me were the next couple of days were much easier to endure. The waking nightmares stopped after the third day, and my fever broke by the fifth. I stopped shaking and my vision cleared by the end of the first week. I woke up normally one day, my body hurting in a much more tolerable way.

"How are you feeling?" Charon asked.

I took a moment to really assess. "Compared to when I woke up the first time, much better. I'm not seeing spots or imagining things."

"Good." He sighed with relief before leaning forward on his knees and looking me straight in the eye, "_Don't_ _pull shit like that again_."

I wasn't sure if I should have taken that as a cold threat or a remark of genuine concern. "The Med-X?"

"That. And everything else."

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Going days without eating, drinking or sleeping, getting shot and not treating the wound immediately, running out of my sight in a dangerous area, climbing over unstable rubble," He shifted in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck. He grunted in annoyance. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat. "You, you had me really fuckin' worried. I thought you were gonna die and I didn't like it. So _don't_ make me feel that way again."

The words felt like he had just chucked them straight at my chest. I sat there like an idiot on the bed, not sure what to say. I shook my head. I couldn't think of anything to say, but the first thing that spilled out of my mouth was, "Wh-Where have you been sleeping?"

"The chair."

"Come to bed. You deserve it."

"You're in it."

"I don't care if you don't."

Charon looked at the sheets and the pillows and pretty quickly decided he liked the idea of lying down in a real bed. He ambled over and fell face first into the softness and let out a very relieved, muffled sigh. He was exhausted.

"Did you mean what you said? Charon?"

He nodded his head into the pillow.

"Why were you so worried?"

He propped himself up on one elbow and faced me. "Do I have to spell it out?"

"Maybe." I furrowed my brow.

Charon wiped his face real quick with his free hand. "I care about you." He was embarrassed still to admit this.

"Y-You do? Like in a contract way?"

"No. Not in a contract way."

This is not how I've seen Charon's actions at all. I thought everything was for the contract. I thought he did that because it was his duty, not his own willingness. I just sat there contemplating his words.

"Say something." He urged.

"I don't know what to say. I thought you did everything you did because the contract told you to."

"Well, I haven't _always_ cared about you. But something changed so now I do."

I looked at him and shook my head, "Of course not." I lied down and looked up at him. "I'm sorry."

His eyes darted around my face before stating, "This conversation stays between us."

"Who else would I tell?"

He shrugged. "Making sure."

"Yeah, between us."

"We'll talk more later. But now I gotta sleep." Charon put his arm down and rested his head on the pillow. He fell asleep faster than I've seen anyone doze off. I saw a very new side of Charon. A side of him that was entirely foreign to me, a side I thought he didn't have. A side of him that I wondered if I'd ever see again. A tender and sincere side. It also begged the question just how much I cared about Charon back. If it was as much as he cared about me back. No question would I drag him to safety when he couldn't. I would nurse him back to health and carry him around and change his sheets when they got too dirty. I would do all that for him, no doubt. I guess I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to really think about his. I stopped trying to get into his head after the Temple made it home, it just didn't seem necessary. He has more to worry about in me than I do in him. I'm ten degrees of fucked up. He isn't. At least not that he's told me.

I let him sleep in peace. I got up to stretch my aching muscles and to get some fresh air. I needed out of this room. I needed out of the belly of this ship. I left the room as quietly as I could and walked out onto the deck of the ship. It was night, stars out and twinkling. I took a deep breath in and wrapped myself tighter in my clothes, and relaxed my shoulders as I let my breath out.

I wondered if I'd ever settle down and finally be happy with myself. I wondered if I'd get back on Med-X. I wondered if Charon would ever need my help. I wondered a lot of things for far too long. The peace of being outside with the stars was replaced with dread, so I returned to the room and crawled back into bed. Charon was still sound asleep. I hadn't woken him. I lied there, waiting to fall asleep. I just relaxed my body from head to toe, it did nothing. I lied there, ate, drank, generally did nothing important for a majority of Charon being asleep. A part of me already knew what he was going to ask about, so I just sort of mentally prepared myself. He asked before, and if he's really that curious I could tell him. Maybe I could ask a few things about him too. See if he remembers anything besides killing and the contract.

I napped for about an hour before waking up. Charon started stirring too and soon the sleeping beast woke. He stretched and yawned, barring blackened teeth and blood shot gums. He was truly terrifying. I asked him if he wanted to eat. He shook his head.

"What happened in the Pitt, Judy?"

I sat up and looked at him. He had one leg propped up and the other relaxed. His hands were beneath his head. I stretched my neck and turned around to face him, my legs still crossed. "It's more to do with what happened before that hellhole, really." I looked at him. "It's a long story."

* * *

***Thank you so much for reading! And thank you to anyone who has reviewed! I really appreciate it.***


	15. Chapter 15 - Altruism

"I want to know."

"Alright, get comfortable." I took a deep breath in. "I grew up with my parents and three other families in a small collection of shacks out west. I was really happy as a kid. My parents were great to me and the other families were friendly and helpful as well. I didn't have any siblings, but there was a boy who lived with us that I'd play with. We lived like that until I was 14 when raiders got the spring on us and killed everyone but my father and I. We spent the next few years living in a shack together, alone, when slavers found us the next time. We were together until the platoon we were in got split up in a yao guai attack. My half made it back. My father's never did. I was sold when I was 17 to a slaver in Paradise Falls named Pronto. My purpose was to be locked up in his basement and get fucked every night. Never was it ever something I enjoyed."

*****Don't read if you are sensitive to scenes of rape*****

I took a moment to calm down. My eyes had started welling with tears. "He'd grab my hair while he did it." I shook my head, drowning the images. "He told me he was doing me a service. He fed me and he kept me safe from the other slavers. He said they were all jealous of him because he had such a pretty slave girl all to himself. I hated it. I _hated _it. I wanted to kill him. The only thing keeping me from killing myself was the idea of killing him. That changed when I got pregnant.

*****Resume.*****

"I gave birth to my baby girl nine months later and named her Nora. She was the most important thing in my life after that. I was 18 when she was born. I saw so much life and so much vigor in her, so much hope. Everything was fine for another day or two before the doctor was given orders to knock me unconscious and perform a hysterectomy, remove my womb. It was botched, to say the least. I didn't heal properly from that.

"Things were okay for a couple months. My child was healthy and I was given the freedom to come upstairs and help run the shop. Mostly so the other slavers could ogle at my baby, and watch as I was breastfeeding. It was when they started joking about putting her to work in a couple years that I finally realized I _had_ to get out. I _had_ to escape. If not for me, for her. Nora deserved better than that life. By the time Nora was weaned, I deactivated my collar, shaved off all my hair and took off in the night with nothing more than the clothes on my back and a knife. The spotlight guard caught sight of me as I was just getting under the fence. A squad of the slavers started tracking me.

"I ran for days, hardly ever stopping. I took her to Little Lamplight. The slavers and a few of the dogs who had chased me the whole way were mowed down by the gate guard. The kids initially didn't want her. I couldn't let them do that. I pleaded on my hands and knees for them to let her in. They eventually did.

I bit my lip to focus myself. "I left my little girl there with those children six years ago. I haven't been there since. I spent the next few years with mercenary groups, got addicted to Med-X for the mental and physical pain left over from my time in Paradise Falls. I settled with Red Company for a while until Barley died, left them, and joined the Temple of the Union. But it wasn't until the Pitt where all the mental and physical turmoil I had escaped years ago was all brought back up in one neat little package.

"Slaves in torturous conditions, fighting for my life, and most importantly, little Marie. I had to kill her mother in order to take her to the slaves. I could only imagine what would happen to my own child if I had been killed in cold blood. When I looked at Marie, all I could remember was Nora. I could only remember my times in Paradise Falls. I could only remember the guilt of leaving her. The Pitt just ripped open scars from the worst time in my life. That's all."

"Is that why you care for kids so much?"

"Yeah," I bit my lip, "It is."

"What do you mean you didn't heal physically?"

"The 'doctor' didn't know what she was doing. I don't know why they did it. That's why things with Theo didn't," I struggled for the words, "Work out."

"That is unfortunate."

I shrugged. "What about you? Do you remember anything at all besides brainwashing?"

Charon rested his hands on his stomach. "Ahzrukhal made it sound like they raised me. They did not. I was abducted when I was 16. They desensitized me to extreme violence, wiped out all people from my memory, taught me the only way to survive was to serve the contract and to kill people; basically they tore any shred of humanity from me. I don't even know who _they _were. It didn't matter at that point. Once I was up to standards, my contract was sold to Allistair Tenpenny. I was a couple years into serving Tenpenny when an old friend showed up as a slave. He reminded me of my life before everything happened and I tried breaking him free. I couldn't. I accidentally killed Tenpenny's wife in the fray. Tenpenny punished me by throwing me into an irradiated lake and selling me to slave traders."

"Why did he bother punishing you?"

"My friend was a ghoul. He was also a slave. Tenpenny learned after that night to associate those two things as the lowest forms of life. He figured I should suffer for what I did, to always be reminded and live with the guilt."

"What was your life like before you were brainwashed?"

He shrugged. "Rough. I was a body guard of sorts. My friend who I ran into was the guy I protected. I was bigger than normal back then too." He chuckled. "I scared the shit outta everyone. Nobody messed with us. I spent most of my time with him."

"What about your parents? Did you have any siblings?"

He shook his head. "That's a story that I tried very hard to forget before I was kidnapped and brainwashed. I think I ran away from home when I was 10. Anything before that is a blur." He stared at the ceiling for a moment. "I think my mother was a whore. But I ain't certain."

"Has Charon always been your name?"

"No, but my friend didn't know either. I changed it to keep from getting recognized too often. The guys who trained me would recruit kids off the street. I was always using a different name. I don't remember it anymore."

"Who gave it to you then?"

"Ahzrukhal."

"Did you remember your friend right away?"

He shook his head. "He had to show me this gold coin I used to carry around with me. It triggered the memory of how I got it. I think it was right after I ran away from home, and as a way to prove to myself I was tough enough to live alone I broke into a Pre-War bank, got past the security system, figured out the code, and got into this ancient vault. I got the coin and kept it with me."

"How did he get it?"

"It fell out of my pocket when the guys were taking me away."

"Do you still have it?"

He nodded and grunted.

"Could I see it?"

Charon got up silently and went to the bottom of his bag, unzipped a hidden pouch, and handed it to me. It was a bright, shiny, gold coin. The year '2000' was imprinted on the bottom edge. The portrait of a woman was on one side, an eagle and eye on other side. It was a little bigger than a bottle cap. I turned it over and over in my fingers. There was dried blood in the grooves along the edge. I looked up at him and handed it back. He secured the coin and hopped back onto the bed. We were both lying down on our stomachs, looking at each other. I tucked my hand by my chest. We didn't say anything for a while.

"What changed to make you feel this way?" I asked.

"It wasn't one thing, but many put together." He put his hand up between us, feeling the sheets. "You talk to me. You explain yourself. I don't always understand you. Instead of letting it go and not caring, I try to understand. Which turned into feeling pain with you, even if I hadn't felt it myself. Which turned into protecting you from harm- harm you were doing to yourself or harm other people were responsible for." He paused as his icy blue eyes searched my face, "You gave me back my humanity. I owe you."

"If you owe me, then I owe you." I grinned. "What are you going to do with this debt?"

"Nothing."

"Good. Neither am I."

I un-tucked my hand and squeezed his hand. He was caught by surprise, but squeezed back. His rough, warm fingers pressing against my tan skin. Charon is a man that I cannot feel apathy for. He is a man that I trust with my life. He is a man I will never leave. He is a man I will never betray. I'd rather go back to Paradise Falls than betray him.

I love him. I love Charon. It is not a physical love, but a love where I accept him completely and fully and I only want that to continue, even if I might suffer in the meantime. I love Charon, and in that moment I felt most at peace.

_Altruism: Unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others._

***Thank you so much for reading my story! This is the last chapter of "Altruism", but I'm almost finished with a sequel to this story which should be up soon! Again, thank you for reading through my story and I hope you enjoyed it!***** **


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